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Bundeswehr: Encyclopedia BETAFree Encyclopedia |
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General InformationThe Bundeswehr is a federal defence force with Army (Heer), Navy (Marine), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Service Support Command (Streitkräftebasis), and Central Medical Services (Zentraler Sanitätsdienst) branches.The Bundeswehr has some 250,000 military personnel, 50,000 of whom are 18â€"25-year-old conscripts who serve for at least nine months under current rules. The number of civilian employees is to be reduced to 75,000 during the next years. Since 1975 women are serving in the medical service. In 2000, in a lawsuit brought up by Tanja Kreil, the European Court of Justice issued a ruling allowing women to serve in more roles then previously allowed. Then, since 2001 they can serve in all functions of service without any restrictions but they are not subject to conscription. There are presently about 13,000 women on active duty and a number of female reservists, taking part in all duties including peacekeeping missions and other operations. HistoryThe Cold War Period 1955-1990Germany had been without its own armed forces since the Wehrmacht was dissolved after World War II in 1945-47. Some smaller forces continued to exist as Border guard or naval minesweeping units, but not as a national defence force. The responsibility for the security of Germany as a whole rested with the four Allied Powers U.S., U.K., France, the Soviet Union. Germany was completely demilitarised and any plans for German military were forbidden by Allied regulations.There was a discussion between the United States, United Kingdom, and France over the issue. In particular France was reluctant to allow Germany to rearm in the light of the recent history. However, after the project for the European Defence Community had failed in the French National Assembly in 1954 also France agreed in the West German accession to NATO and in its rearmament. However, with growing tensions between the Soviet Union and the West especially after the Korean War this policy was to be revised. While Eastern Germany was already secretly rearming, basic thoughts about a new West German force started in 1950 when former high ranking German officers were tasked by chancellor Konrad Adenauer to discuss possibilities of West German rearmament. The results of a meeting in the monastery of Himmerod formed the conceptual base to build up new armed forces in Western Germany. The "Amt Blank" (Office Blank, named after its director Theodor Blank), the predecessor of the later Federal Ministry of Defence, was formed the same year to prepare the establishment of the future forces. Hasso von Manteuffel, a former general of the Wehrmacht and liberal politician, submitted the name Bundeswehr for the new forces, that expression was later confirmed by the German Bundestag. The Bundeswehr was officially established on the 200th birthday of Scharnhorst in 1955. After an amendment of the Basic Law West Germany became a member of NATO in 1955. In 1956, conscription for all men between 18 and 45 in years was introduced, later on augmented by a civil alternative with longer duration (see Conscription in Germany). In parallel East Germany formed its military force, the Nationale Volksarmee which was dissolved with the reunifcation of Germany in 1990.
Unification of West and East Germany 1990After reunification in 1990, the Bundeswehr was reduced to 370,000 military personnel in accordance with the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany between the two German gorvernments and the Allies (2+4-Treaty). The former East German Nationale Volksarmee (NVA) was disbanded with a part of its personnel and a small portion of its material being taken into the Bundeswehr.About 50,000 Volksarmee personnel were being taken into the Bundeswehr on 2 October 1990. This figure was rapidly reduced as conscripts and short-term volunteers completed their service. A number of senior officers (but no generals or admirals) got limited contracts for up to two years to continue daily operations. Personnel remaining in the Bundeswehr got new contracts and new Bundeswehr ranks dependent on their individual qualification and experience. Many received and accepted a lower rank than previously held in the Volksarmee. This was seen as demotions by critics. In general, the unification process of the military - under the slogan "Armee der Einheit"/"Army of Unity" - is publicly seen as a major success and an example for other parts of the society. With the reduction, a large amount of material of the Bundeswehr, as well as of the Volksarmee, had to be disposed of. A majority of armored vehicles and fighter jet aircraft were dismantled under international disarmament procedures. Ships have been scrapped or sold, often to the Baltic states and Indonesia, the latter receiving 39 former Volksmarine vessels of various types. There have been some public discussions about former Volksarmee APCs being used by the Turkish army in south-east of Turkey. MissionThe role of the Bundeswehr is described in the German Basic Law (Art. 87a) as defensive only. After 1990, the international situation had changed from East-West-confrontation to general uncertainty and instability. Today, after a ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court in 1994 the term defence has been defined to not only include protection of the borders of Germany, but also crisis reaction and conflict prevention, or more broadly as guarding the security of Germany anywhere in the world. According to a definition by former Defence Minister Struck, it may be necessary to defend Germany even at the Hindu Kush. This requires the Bundeswehr to take part in operations outside of the borders of Germany, as part of the NATO or the European Union and mandated by the UN.Organisation and Command StructureWith a growing number of missions abroad it was recognised that the Bundeswehr needed a totally new structure. A reform commission under the chairmanship of the former Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker presented its recommendations in spring 2000.In October 2000 the Joint Service Support Command, the Streitkräftebasis', was established at the level of the classic services to concentrate logistics and other supporting functions such as military police and communications under one command. The Medical support was reorganised with the establishment of the Central Medical Services. The combat forces of the Army are organised in 5 combat divisions and also participates in multinational command structures at the corps level. There are 3 divisions in the Air Force and 2 Navy flotillas. The Central Medical Services and the Joint Service Support Command are each organized into four regional commands. All of these services also have general commands for training, procurement, and other general issues. The Joint Service Support Command and the Central Medical Services are both organised in four regional commands of identical shape. For the employment of the armed forces the minister of defence or the chancellor in their function as commander-in-chief are supported by the Chief of Defence (CHOD, Generalinspekteur) and the service chiefs (Inspekteure) and their respective staffs. The CHOD and the service chiefs form the Military Command Council (Militärischer Führungsrat) with similar functions to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the United States. Subordinate to the CHOD, the Armed Forces Operational Command (Einsatzführungskommando), or for smaller missions one of the service HQs (e.g. the Fleet Command), exercise command and control of German armed forces on missions abroad. The Bundeswehr in general is still among the world's most technologically advanced and well-supplied militaries, as befits Germany's overall economic prosperity and infrastructure. Its budget is, however, steadily shrinking and among the lowest military budgets in NATO in terms of share of GDP. Operations
Currently there are Bundeswehr forces in: * Afghanistan ** ISAF ** 2,430 personnel * Kosovo ** KFOR ** 2,600 personnel * Bosnia and Herzegovina ** EUFOR (former SFOR) ** 1,050 personnel ** since 2 December 2004 under European Union Command * Georgia ** UNOMIG ** 12 personnel * Ethiopia and Eritrea ** UNMEE ** 2 personnel * Horn of Africa/Indian Ocean ** Enduring Freedom ** 310 personnel *** Frigates *** Maritime Patrol Aircraft * Mediterranean Sea ** Active Endeavour ** 190 personnel *** 1 Frigate *** 1 Submarine * Sudan ** UNMIS ** up to 75 personnel * Democratic Republic of the Congo ** up to 800 Soldiers and Personel ** From July the 31st 2006 the Bundeswehr will secure Kongo's Capital Kinshasa while parliamential and presidential elections are held. In support of Allied stabilisation efforts in Iraq, the Bundeswehr is also training the new Iraqi forces in locations outside Iraq, such as the United Arab Emirates and Germany. TraditionsFormer German military organisations have been the Reichswehr (1921-1935) and the Wehrmacht (1935-1945). The Bundeswehr, however, does not consider itself as their successor and does not follow traditions of any former German military organisation. The official Bundeswehr traditions are based on three major subjects:*the defence reformers at the beginning of the 19th century such as Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Clausewitz *the members of the military resistance against Hitler such as Claus von Stauffenberg and Henning von Tresckow *its own tradition since 1955 As its symbol the Bundeswehr uses a form of the Iron Cross. The Iron Cross has a long history, having been awarded as a military war time decoration for all ranks since 1813, and earlier associations with the Teutonic knights. The name Bundeswehr was proposed by the former Wehrmacht general and liberal politician Hasso von Manteuffel. See also*Bundesheer is the name for the Military of Austria*Heer *Luftwaffe *German Navy *Ceremonial oath of the Bundeswehr External links*Bundeswehr - Official site
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