The German government is apparently starting discussions on whether to politically back a one-year deployment of NATO E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft to support the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

But there's concern the issue could cause political waves. According to the German weekly news magazine, Der Spiegel, the government is trying to defer such a fight past the summer recess by not taking up the issue until September.

German government officials confirm that senior NATO military leaders have expressed interest in the AWACS deployment. But, they add, the request hasn't formally been blessed by the alliance's military committee.

The AWACS would be used largely to manage the large amount of NATO air traffic in Afghanistan, ranging from combat aircraft providing fire support to ground troops, to logistics flights, to helicopter operations.

The German parliament would have to okay the mission because German military personnel are detached to the unit -- which is also based in Geilenkirchen, Germany, near the Dutch border. Odds are that eventually the deployment will be given the green light, since Germany already has other commitments to Afghanistan.