Bundeswehr
Template:Short description Template:Redirect2 Template:Title language Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox national military The Template:Lang (Template:IPA, Template:Lit Federal Defence) are the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Template:Lang is divided into a military part (armed forces or Streitkräfte) and a civil part. The military part consists of the four armed forces: German Army, German Navy, German Air Force and Cyber and Information Domain Service, which are supported by the Bundeswehr Support Area.
Template:As of, the Template:Lang had a strength of 182,496 active-duty military personnel and 80,770 civilians,<ref name="bundeswehr">Template:Cite web</ref> placing it among the 30 largest military forces in the world, and making it the second largest in the European Union behind France. In addition, the Template:Lang has approximately 860,000 reserve personnel (2025).<ref name="Reserve">Template:Cite web</ref> With the German military budget at $100 billion (€86.37 billion) for 2025<ref name="Haushalt 2025"/>, the Template:Lang is the fourth-highest-funded military in the world, though military expenditures have until recently remained low at an average at 1.5% of national GDP,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> well below the non-binding NATO target of 2%. In 2024, Germany fulfilled NATO obligations of spending 2% of its GDP on its armed forces.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Germany is aiming to expand the Template:Lang to around 203,000 soldiers by 2031 to better cope with increasing responsibilities.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref>
Following concerns from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany announced a major shift in policy, pledging a €100 billion ($116.344 billion) special fund for the BundeswehrTemplate:Sndto remedy years of underinvestmentTemplate:Sndalong with raising the budget to above 2% GDP.<ref name=commits/> In 2025, the German constitution was amended, exempting military and intelligence spending above 1% GDP from the Schuldenbremse (debt limit).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Founding principles
The name Template:Lang was first proposed by former Wehrmacht general and Liberal politician Hasso von Manteuffel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz), a symbol that has a long association with the military of Germany, is its official emblem. The Schwarzes Kreuz is derived from the black cross insignia of the medieval Teutonic knights; since 1813 the symbol has been used to denote a military decoration for all ranks.
When the Template:Lang was established in 1955, its founding principles were based on developing a completely new military force for the defence of West Germany. In this respect the Template:Lang did not consider itself to be a successor to either the Reichswehr (1921–1935) of the Weimar Republic or Hitler's Wehrmacht (1935–1945), and did not adhere to the traditions of any former German military organization. Its official ethos is based on three major themes:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The aims of the military reformers at the beginning of the 19th century such as Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Clausewitz
- The conduct displayed by members of the military resistance against Adolf Hitler, especially the attempt of Claus von Stauffenberg and Henning von Tresckow to assassinate him.
- Its own military traditions set in 1955.
One of the most visible traditions of the modern Template:Lang is the Großer Zapfenstreich. This is a form of military tattoo that has its origins in the landsknecht era. The FRG reinstated this formal military ceremony in 1952, three years before the foundation of the Template:Lang. Today it is performed by a military band with 4 fanfare trumpeters and timpani, a corps of drums, up to two escort companies of the Template:Lang's Wachbataillon (or another deputized unit) and torchbearers. The Zapfenstreich is only performed during national celebrations or solemn public commemorations. It can honour distinguished persons present such as the German Federal President, or provide the conclusion to large military exercises.
Another important tradition in the modern German armed forces is the Gelöbnis: the solemn oath made by serving professional soldiers, and recruits (and formerly conscripts) during basic training. There are two kinds of oath: a pledge for recruits, and a solemn vow for full-time personnel.
The pledge is made annually on 20 July, the date on which a group of Wehrmacht officers attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944. Recruits from the Template:Lang's Wachbataillon make their vow at the Bendlerblock in Berlin. This was the headquarters of the resistance and also where the officers were summarily executed following the failure of the assassination attempt on Hitler. National commemorations are held nearby within the grounds of the Reichstag. Similar events also take place across the German Republic. Since 2011, when conscription was suspended, the wording of the ceremonial vow for full-time recruits and volunteer personnel is:
- "Ich gelobe, der Bundesrepublik Deutschland treu zu dienen und das Recht und die Freiheit des deutschen Volkes tapfer zu verteidigen."
Serving Template:Lang personnel replace "Ich gelobe, ..." with "Ich schwöre, ..." ("I swear...").
Cold War: 1955–1990
After World War II the responsibility for the security of Germany as a whole rested with the four occupying Allied Powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union. Germany had been without armed forces since the Wehrmacht was dissolved following World War II. When the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in 1949, it was without a military. Germany remained completely demilitarized and any plans for a German military were forbidden by Allied regulations.
Some naval mine-sweeping units such as the German Mine Sweeping Administration (Deutscher Minenräumdienst) continued to exist, but they remained unarmed and under Allied control and did not serve as a national defence force. The Federal Border Protection (Bundesgrenzschutz), a mobile, lightly armed police force of 10,000 men, was formed on 14 March 1951 and expanded to 20,000 men on 19 June 1953. A proposal to integrate West German troops with soldiers of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Italy in a European Defence Community was proposed but never implemented.
There was a discussion among the United States, the United Kingdom and France over the issue of a revived (West) German military. In particular, France was reluctant to allow Germany to rearm in light of recent history (Germany had invaded France twice in living memory, in World War I and World War II, and also defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71). However, after the project for a European Defence Community failed in the French National Assembly in 1954, France agreed to West German accession to NATO and rearmament.
With growing tensions between the Soviet Union and the West, especially after the Korean War, this policy was to be revised. While the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was already secretly rearming, the seeds of a new West German force started in 1950 when former high-ranking German officers were tasked by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to discuss the options for West German rearmament. The results of a meeting in the monastery of Himmerod formed the conceptual base to build the new armed forces in West Germany.
The Amt Blank (Blank Agency, 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 Free Democratic Party politician, submitted the name Template:Lang for the new forces. This name was later confirmed by the West German Bundestag.
The Template:Lang was officially established on the 200th birthday of Scharnhorst on 12 November 1955. In personnel and education terms, the most important initial feature of the new German armed forces was to be their orientation as citizen defenders of a democratic state, fully subordinate to the political leadership of the country.<ref>Fritz Erler, 'Politik und nicht Prestige,' in Erler and Jaeger, Sicherheit und Rustung, 1962, po. 82–83, cited in Julian Lider, Origins and Development of West German Military Thought, Vol. I, 1949–1966, Gower Publishing Company Ltd, Aldershot/Brookfield VT, 1986, p. 125</ref> A personnel screening committee was created to make sure that the future colonels and generals of the armed forces were those whose political attitude and experience would be acceptable to the new democratic state.<ref>Aberheim, 'The Citizen in Uniform: Reform and its Critics in the Bundeswehr,' in Szabo, (ed.), The Bundeswehr and Western Security, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1990, p. 39.</ref> There were a few key reformers, such as General Ulrich de Maiziere, General Graf von Kielmansegg, and Graf von Baudissin,<ref>Donald Aberheim, 1990, p. 37; Donald Aberheim, 'German Soldiers and German Unity: Political Foundations of the German Armed Forces,' California Naval Postgraduate School, 1991, p. 14, cited in Artur A Bogowicz, 'Polish Armed Forces of 2000: Demands and Changes Template:Webarchive,' NPGS Thesis, March 2000, and Obituary for General Ulrich de Maizière, The Times, 13 September 2006</ref> who reemphasised some of the more democratic parts of Germany's armed forces history in order to establish a solid civil-military basis to build upon.
After an amendment of the Basic Law in 1955, West Germany became a member of NATO. The first public military review took place at Andernach, in January 1956.<ref>Large, David Clay Germans to the Front West German rearmament in the Adenauer era University of North Carolina Press 1996 pp. 244–45 Template:ISBN</ref> In 1956, conscription for all men between the ages of 18 and 45 was reintroduced, later augmented by a civil alternative with longer duration (see Conscription in Germany). In response, East Germany formed its own military force, the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA), in 1956, with conscription being established only in 1962. The Nationale Volksarmee was eventually dissolved with the reunification of Germany in 1990. Compulsory conscription was suspendedTemplate:Sndbut not completely abolished as an alternativeTemplate:Sndin January 2011.
During the Cold War the Template:Lang was the backbone of NATO's conventional defence in Central Europe. It had a strength of 495,000 military and 170,000 civilian personnel. Although Germany had smaller armed forces than France and the United States, Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis assesses the Template:Lang as "perhaps (the) world's best army".<ref>John Lewis Gaddis, The Cold War – a New History, Penguin Books, London, 2005, p. 220</ref> The Army consisted of three corps with 12 divisions, most of them heavily armed with tanks and APCs. The Luftwaffe owned significant numbers of tactical combat aircraft and took part in NATO's integrated air defence (NATINAD). The Navy was tasked and equipped to defend the Baltic Approaches, to provide escort reinforcement and resupply shipping in the North Sea and to contain the Soviet Baltic Fleet.
Template:Further During the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s, German special forces of the Bundeswehr were deployed as part of a covert operation. During this time, Operation Summer Rain played a significant role. The German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) conducted this secret mission, where special forces were infiltrated from West Germany to Pakistan and then into Afghanistan.
The primary task of these special units was to clandestinely acquire Soviet weapon technology, including armor for combat helicopters, vehicles, landmines, modern ammunition such as uranium rounds, rocket warheads, night vision devices, and navigation technology. Collaboration with the insurgent Mujahideen was central to this covert operation.
During this time the Template:Lang did not take part in combat operations. However, there were a number of large-scale training exercises resulting in operational casualties. The first such incident was in June 1957, when 15 paratroop recruits drowned in the Iller river, Bavaria.<ref>Large op.cit. pp. 263–64</ref>
German Reunification 1990
At the time of reunification, the German military boasted a manpower of some 585,000 soldiers.<ref name="auto"/> As part of the German reunification process, under the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany (Two-Plus Four Treaty), which paved the way for reunification, the Template:Lang was to be reduced to 370,000 personnel, of whom no more than 345,000 were to be in the Army and Air Force.<ref>www.bundesregierung.de: Deutschland sagt Verkleinerung der Armee auf 370.000 Mann zu (30 August 1990)</ref> This would be Germany's contribution to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, and the restrictions would enter into force at the time the CFE treaty would. As a result, the Template:Lang was significantly reduced, and the former East German Nationale Volksarmee (NVA) was disbanded at the moment of German reunification, with a portion of its personnel and materiel being absorbed into the Template:Lang. File:Eurofighter 9803.ogv
About 50,000 Volksarmee personnel were integrated into the Template:Lang 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) received limited contracts for up to two years to continue daily operations. Personnel remaining in the Template:Lang were awarded new contracts and new ranks, dependent on their individual qualification and experience. Many were granted and accepted a lower rank than previously held in the Volksarmee.
In general, the unification process of the two militariesTemplate:Sndunder the slogan "Armee der Einheit" (or "Army of Unity")Template:Sndhas been seen publicly as a major success and an example for other parts of the society.
With the reduction, a large amount of the military hardware of the Template:Lang, as well as of the Volksarmee, had to be disposed of. Most of the armoured vehicles and fighter jet aircraft (the BundesluftwaffeTemplate:Snddue to reunificationTemplate:Sndwas the only air force in the world that flew both Phantoms and MIGs) were dismantled under international disarmament procedures. Many ships were scrapped or sold, often to the Baltic states or Indonesia (the latter received 39 former Volksmarine vessels of various types).
With reunification, all restrictions on the manufacture and possession of conventional arms that had been imposed on the Template:Lang as a condition for West German rearmament were lifted.<ref>Duffield, John: World Power Forsaken: Political Culture, International Institutions, and German Security Policy After Unification, p. 32</ref>
Since 1996, Germany also has its own special forces, the Kommando Spezialkräfte (Special Forces Command). It was formed after German citizens had to be rescued from the Rwandan genocide by Belgian Para-Commandos as the Special Commands of the Federal Police were not capable of operating in a war zone.
Reorientation
A major event for the German military was a series of defense spending cuts and the suspension of the compulsory conscription for men in 2011. These were introduced by Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble as part of austerity measures in response to the Great Recession and the European debt crisis.<ref>Tooze, Adam (2018). Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World. New York, New York: Viking Press. p. 354. Template:ISBN. Template:OCLC.</ref> In 2011/12, a major reform of the Template:Lang was announced under Thomas de Maizière, further limiting the number of military bases and soldiers. The land forces of the Bundeswehr would have three large units at divisional level. There are currently five. The number of brigades decreased from eleven to eight.<ref name=zukunft>Template:Cite web</ref>
German military expenditures are lower than comparable countries such as the United Kingdom, or countries of the European Union such as France, especially when taking into account Germany's larger population and economy. This discrepancy is often criticized by Germany's NATO allies, as far back as Obama-era US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.<ref name=nytdim>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=ustsp>Template:Cite news</ref>
As one result of the 2014 NATO Wales summit which was attended by both Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen in September 2014,<ref name="alozius21">Template:Cite journal</ref> the Template:Lang acknowledged in October chronic equipment problems that rendered its armed forces "unable to deliver its defensive NATO promises". Among the problems cited were dysfunctional weapons systems, armored vehicles, aircraft, and naval vessels unfit for immediate service due to a neglect of maintenance, and serious equipment and spare parts shortages. The situation was so dire in 2016 that it was acknowledged that most of Germany's fighter aircraft and combat helicopters were not in deployable condition,<ref name=foreignaffairs>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> although the Air Force had almost 38,000 soldiers,<ref name=zukunft/> and von der Leyen's daycare system.<ref name=hug1>Justin Huggler (2 June 2014), German army to offer soldiers crèches and flat-screen TVs The Daily Telegraph.</ref><ref name=hug2>Justin Huggler (12 September 2014), After army crèches and cosy barracks, Germany has new idea for troops – shorter working hours The Daily Telegraph.</ref>
In 2015, as a result of the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Germany announced what was termed "a major increase" in defense spending. In May 2015, the German government approved an increase in defense spending, at the time 1.3% of GDP, by 6.2% over the following five years, allowing the Ministry of Defense to fully modernize the army.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The 2015 reform set a required strength of 185,000 soldiers.<ref name="Chambers02072017"/> Plans were also announced to significantly expand the tank fleet to a potential number of 328, order 131 more Boxer armored personnel carriers, increase the submarine fleet, and to develop a new fighter jet to replace the Panavia Tornado.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Germany considered increasing the size of the army,<ref name="Chambers02072017">Template:Cite web</ref> and in May 2016 it announced it would spend €130 billion on new equipment by 2030 and add nearly 7,000 soldiers by 2023 in the first German military expansion since the end of the Cold War.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2017, the German government announced another expansion, which would increase the number of its professional soldiers by 20,000 by 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
As of May 2025, the Bundeswehr is permanently stationing a full armored brigade abroad for the first time in its postwar history. The 45th Panzer Brigade “Litauen” based in Lithuania, is part of Germany’s broader Zeitenwende strategy to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank and transition from rotational deployments to structural forward presence.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> The brigade is expected to include 2,000 personnel by 2026, with additional supporting infrastructure provided jointly with Lithuania.
Coordination with European partners
As a consequence of improved Dutch-German cooperation, since 2014 two of the three Royal Netherlands Army Brigades are under German Command. In 2014, the 11th Airmobile Brigade was integrated into the German Division of fast forces (DSK). The Dutch 43rd Mechanized Brigade will be assigned to the 1st Panzer Division of the German army, with the integration starting at the beginning of 2016, and the unit becoming operational at the end of 2019.<ref name=janes16>Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2016 it was announced that the Seebatallion of the German Navy would start to operate under Royal Dutch Navy command.<ref name=duint>Template:Cite web</ref> The Dutch-German military cooperation was seen in 2016 by von der Leyen and Dutch Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert as an example for setting up a European defense union.<ref name=duint/>
According to a policy dictated by von der Leyen in February 2017, the Template:Lang is to play a greater role as "anchor army" for smaller NATO states, by improving coordination between its divisions and smaller members' Brigades.<ref name=anchorarmy>Template:Cite web</ref>
A further proposal by Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen, to allow non-German EU nationals to join the Template:Lang, was met in July 2016 by strong opposition, even from her own party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
It was announced in February 2017 that the Czech Republic's 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade and Romania's 81st Mechanized Brigade would be integrated into Germany's 10 Armoured Division and Rapid Response Forces Division.<ref name=czroint>Template:Cite web</ref> The 4 RDB-10 PD link is not an isolated Czech–German initiative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It sits beside:
- Netherlands – three brigades integrated into German divisions since 2016.
- Romania – 9th Mechanised Brigade tied to the Bundeswehr’s Rapid Response Forces Division.
- Lithuania (2025) – standing up Panzer Brigade 45 under 10 PD for the new German permanent brigade in Rūdninkai.<ref name=":1" />
Taken together, Germany is slowly contributing to a pre-integrated divisional structure.
Consequences of 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Template:As of, the number of active military personnel in the Template:Lang was 183,051.<ref name="bundeswehr"/> Military expenditure in Germany was at $52.8 billion in 2020, roughly 1.3% of the country's GDP.<ref name="SIPRI-2020">Template:Cite web</ref>
At the end of February 2022, in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a plan to increase the power of the German military, pledging €100 billion ($112.7 billion) of the 2022 budget for the armed forces and repeating his promise to reach the 2% of gross domestic product spending on defense in line with (as editorialized by Deutsche Welle) NATO "demands".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=commits>Template:Cite web</ref>
According to information from defense politicians of the federal German parliament, representatives of the armaments industry and other experts, in October 2022 the Bundeswehr only had enough ammunition in stock for one or two days during wartime.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A report made by the Ministry of Defence revealed problems in the Template:Lang such as limited preparedness and lack of equipment. In the letter accompanying the report which was sent to the federal German parliament, the Minister of Defence noted that the situation would improve but "closing the gaps takes time".<ref>Bericht offenbart eklatante Schwächen der Bundeswehr</ref>
In 2025, the new government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz passed laws to further significantly expand the Bundeswehr, both in materiel and personnel. The annual military budget of Germany is to grow from ~2% of its GDP in 2025 to 3.5% in 2029.<ref>German Federal Ministry of Finances - German government intensifies its investment drive: 2026 federal budget and fiscal plan to 2029 adopted</ref> A new push to gain more volunteers and mechanisms for compulsory drafting in case these efforts are insufficient ("Nordic model") have been announced to come into force on January 1, 2026. The goal is to reach a number of 260,000 of active Bundeswehr personnel, a 30% increase from its 2025 number.<ref>tagesschau.de - Was sehen die Pläne für den Wehrdienst vor?</ref>
Organisation
History of organisation
With the growing number of missions abroad it was recognized that the Template:Lang required a new command structure. A reform commission under the chairmanship of the former President Richard von Weizsäcker presented its recommendations in spring 2000.
In October 2000 the Joint Support Service, the Streitkräftebasis, was established to concentrate logistics and other supporting functions such as military police, supply and communications under one command. Medical support was reorganised with the establishment of the Joint Medical Service. In 2016, the Template:Lang created its youngest branch the Cyber and Information Space Command.
Senior leadership
The Minister of Defence is supported by the Chief of Defense (CHOD, Generalinspekteur) and the service chiefs (Inspekteure: Inspector of the Army, Inspector of the Air Force, Inspector of the Navy) and their respective staffs in his or her function as commander-in-chief. The CHOD and the service chiefs form the Military Command Council (Militärischer Führungsrat) with functions similar to those of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the United States. Subordinate to the CHOD is the Armed Forces Operational Command (Einsatzführungskommando). For smaller missions one of the service HQs (e.g. the Fleet Command) may exercise command and control of forces in missions abroad. The Bundestag must approve any foreign deployment by a simple majority. This has led to some discontent with Germany's allies about troop deployments e.g. in Afghanistan since parliamentary consent over such issues is relatively hard to achieve in Germany.
Combat forces
The combat forces of the Army are organised into three combat divisions and participate in multi-national command structures at the corps level. The Air Force maintains three divisions and the Navy is structured into two flotillas. The Joint Support Service and the Joint Medical Service are both organized in four regional commands of identical structure. All of these services also have general commands for training, procurement, and other general issues.
Operational Command
The Armed Forces Operational Command (Einsatzführungskommando der Bundeswehr) is the only joint military command of the Bundeswehr. It controls all missions abroad. The command is located at Henning von Tresckow Kaserne (Schwielowsee) near Potsdam and is headed by a Generalleutnant (3-star general).
Mission
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The role of the Template:Lang is described in the Constitution of Germany (Art. 87a) as absolutely defensive only. Its only active role before 1990 was the Katastropheneinsatz (disaster control). Within the Template:Lang, it helped after natural disasters both in Germany and abroad. After 1990, the international situation changed from east–west confrontation to one of general uncertainty and instability.
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to the definition given by Defence Minister Peter Struck (2002 to 2005), it may be necessary to defend Germany even at the Hindu Kush. This requires the Template:Lang to take part in operations outside of the borders of Germany, as part of NATO or the European Union and mandated by the UN.Template:Citation needed
Military spending
Template:LegendTemplate:Legend
Representation of the budget since 2010
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Operations
Since the early 1990s the Template:Lang has become more and more engaged in international operations in and around the former Yugoslavia, and also in other parts of the world like Cambodia or Somalia. After the 11 September 2001 attacks, German forces were employed in most related theaters except Iraq.
Currently (1 April 2024) there are 1,084 Template:Lang soldiers deployed in:<ref name="bundeswehr" />
- Template:Flag
- KFOR
- 100 personnel
- KFOR
- Template:Flag
- UNMISS
- 14 personnel
- UNMISS
- Template:Flag
- UNIFIL
- 226 personnel
- UNIFIL
- Mediterranean Sea
- Operation Sea Guardian
- 42 personnel
- Operation Sea Guardian
- Mediterranean Sea
- Operation Irini
- 16 personnel
- Operation Irini
- Template:Flag / Template:Flag
- Operation Counter Daesh
- 293 personnel
- Operation Counter Daesh
- Western Sahara
- MINURSO
- 3 personnel
- MINURSO
In addition to the numbers above, 51 soldiers are on permanent stand-by for medical evacuation operations around the world in assistance of ongoing German or coalition operations (STRATAIRMEDEVAC).
In support of Allied stabilization efforts in Iraq, the Template:Lang is also training the new Iraqi security forces in locations outside Iraq, such as the United Arab Emirates and Germany.
Since 1994, the Template:Lang has lost about 100 troops in foreign deployments, including in Afghanistan.
In 2025, the Bundeswehr undertook its first permanent foreign deployment since World War II, establishing the 45th Panzer Brigade in Lithuania. This brigade is expected to reach 5,000 troops by 2027.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Equipment
Lists of equipment
Equipment of the army
Template:Main See also:
Equipment of the air force
See also:
Equipment of the navy
Template:Main See also:
Planned investments
As of August 2025, Germany plans to invest €350 billion in new equipment through 2041. These investments come on top of the special fund of €100 billion. This includes the following estimated budgets:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- German Army:
- Communications equipment: €15.9 billion
- Vehicles and accessories: €20.8 billion
- Combat vehicles: €52.5 billion
- Munitions: €70.3 billion
- Field and logistics material: €20.9 billion
- German Air Force:
- Aircraft and missiles: €34.2 billion
- Satellite communications: €13.3 billion
- German Navy:
- Naval vessels and other equipment: €36.6 billion
Appearance
Uniforms
The service uniform is theoretically the standard type of Template:Lang uniform for general duty and off-post activity,<ref name="loc">Template:Country study</ref> but is most associated with ceremonial occasions.Template:Citation needed The army's service uniform consists of a light grey, single-breasted coat and darker grey trousers, worn with a light blue shirt, black tie, and black shoes.<ref name="loc" /> The peaked, visored cap has been replaced by the beret as the most common form of headgear.<ref name="loc" /> Dress uniforms featuring dinner jackets or double-breasted coats are worn by officers for various social occasions.<ref name="loc" />
The battle and work uniform consists of Flecktarn camouflage fatigues, which are also worn on field duty.Template:Citation needed In practice, they are also used for general duty and off-post at least at barracks where there is also field duty even by others, and for the way home or to the post, and generally regarded as the Heer uniform.<ref>A soldier's joke about this situation runs thus: "The service uniform is called service uniform because it's not worn on service, while the field uniform is called field uniform because it's not worn in the field." (In the field they wear the battle uniform ("Gefechtsanzug"), an extended version of the field uniform.)</ref> In all three services, light sand-coloured uniforms are available for duty in warmer climates.<ref name="loc" /> In 2016 a new Multitarn pattern was launched, similar to the MultiCam uniforms of the British Army or US Army.<ref>Bei jedem Wetter, zu jeder Zeit: Neue Tarnung für die Truppe Template:Webarchive bundeswehr.de. Erding, Bayern, 9 February 2016.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A different, traditional variety of the service uniform is worn by the Gebirgsjäger (mountain infantry), consisting of ski jacket, stretch trousers, and ski boots. Instead of the beret, they wear the grey "mountain cap". The field uniform is the same, except for the (optional) metal Edelweiss worn on the forage cap.
The traditional arm-of-service colours appear as lapel facings and as piping on shoulder straps.<ref name="loc" /> Generals wear an inner piping of gold braid; other officers wear silver piping.<ref name="loc" /> Lapel facings and piping are maroon for general staff, green for infantry, red for artillery, pink for armour, black for engineers, yellow for communications, dark yellow for reconnaissance and various other colors for the remaining branches.<ref name="loc" /> Combat troops wear green (infantry), black (armour), or maroon (airborne) berets.<ref name="loc" /> Logistics troopsTemplate:Citation needed and combat support troops, such as artillery or engineers, wear red berets.<ref name="loc" /> A gold or silver badge on the beret denotes the individual branch of service.<ref name="loc" />
The naval forces wear the traditional navy blue, double-breasted coat and trousers; enlisted personnel wear either a white shirt or a navy blue shirt with the traditional navy collar.<ref name="loc" /> White uniforms provide an alternative for summer.<ref name="loc" /> The officer's dress cap is mounted with a gold anchor surrounded by a wreath.<ref name="loc" /> The visor of the admiral's cap bears a double row of oak leaves.<ref name="loc" /> U-boat captains wear the traditional white hat.
The air force service uniform consists of a blue jacket and trousers with a light blue shirt, dark blue tie, and black shoes.<ref name="loc" /> Olive battle dress similar to the army fatigue uniform is worn in basic training and during other field duty.<ref name="loc" /> Flying personnel wear wings on their right breast.<ref name="loc" /> Other air force personnel wear a modified wing device with a symbol in its centre denoting service specialisation.<ref name="loc" /> These Tätigkeitsabzeichen come in bronze, silver, or gold, depending on one's length of service in the specialty.<ref name="loc" /> Wings, superimposed over a wreath, in gold, silver, or bronze, depending on rank, are also worn on the service or field cap.<ref name="loc" />
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Service uniform of the German Army (Heer) -
Service uniform of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe)
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Ranks
In general, officer ranks are those used in the Prussian and pre-1945 German armies.Template:Citation needed Officer rank insignia are worn on shoulder straps or shoulder boards.<ref name="loc" /> Army (Heer) and air force (Luftwaffe) junior officers' insignia are four pointed silver stars while field grade officers wear silver (black or white on camouflage uniforms) stars and an oak wreath around the lowest star.Template:Citation needed The stars and wreath are gold for general officers.Template:Citation needed In the case of naval (Marine) officers, rank is indicated by gold stripes on the lower sleeve of the blue service jacket and on shoulder boards of the white uniform.<ref name="loc" />
Soldier and NCO ranks are similar to those of the Prussian and pre-1945 German armies.Template:Citation needed In the army and air force, a Gefreiter corresponds to the NATO rank OR-2 and Obergefreiter as well as Hauptgefreiter to OR-3, while OR-4 stands for Stabsgefreiter and Oberstabsgefreiter. An Unteroffizier is the lowest-ranking sergeant (OR-5), followed by Stabsunteroffizier (also OR-5), Feldwebel and Oberfeldwebel (OR-6), Hauptfeldwebel (OR-7/8), Stabsfeldwebel (OR-8) and Oberstabsfeldwebel (OR-9).Template:Citation needed Ranks of army and air force enlisted personnel are designated by stripes, chevrons, and "sword knots" worn on rank slides.<ref name="loc" />
Naval enlisted rank designations are worn on the upper (OR 1–5) or lower (OR-6 and above) sleeve along with a symbol based on an anchor for the service specialization (rating).<ref name="loc" /> Army and air force officer candidates hold the separate ranks of Fahnenjunker (OR-5), Fähnrich (OR-6) and Oberfähnrich (OR-7/8), and wear the appropriate rank insignia plus a silver cord bound around it. Officers candidates in the navy Seekadett (sea cadet; equivalent to OR-5) and Fähnrich zur See (midshipman second class; OR-6) wear the rank insignia of the respective enlisted ranks but with a gold star instead of the rating symbol, while an Oberfähnrich zur See (midshipman first class; OR-7/8) wears an officer type thin rank stripe.
Medical personnel of all three services wear a version of the traditional caduceus (staff with entwined serpents) on their shoulder straps or sleeve.<ref name="loc" /> The officers' ranks have own designations differing from the line officers, the rank insignias however are basically the same.
Women
Women have served in the medical service since 1975. From 1993 they were also allowed to serve as enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers in the medical service and the army bands. 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 than previously allowed. Since 2001 they can serve in all functions of service without restriction, but they are not subject to conscription. There are presently around 24,847 women on active duty<ref name="bundeswehr" /> and a number of female reservists who take part in all duties including peacekeeping missions and other operations. In 1994, Verena von Weymarn became Generalarzt der Luftwaffe (Surgeon General of the Air Force), the first woman ever to reach the rank of general in the armed forces of Germany.
For women, lower physical performance requirements are required in the basic fitness test, which must be completed at the time of recruitment and later on annually.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rank structure
- Officers
- NCOs and enlisted
Recruitment
With the suspension of compulsory military service in 2011 and the reorientation of the Bundeswehr, the military district recruiting offices were dissolved effective 30 November 2012. Their tasks were taken over by the newly created career centers of the Bundeswehr. The career centers of the Bundeswehr are the armed forces main way of presenting itself as a nationwide employer for both military and civilian careers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the structure of the Bundeswehr's personnel recruitment organization adopted in 2019, there are five large career centers in Hanover, Mainz, Düsseldorf, Munich and Berlin with assessment centers. There are 16 smaller, regional career centers, of which only those in Wilhelmshaven, Stuttgart and Erfurt have an assessment center. The 110 career counseling offices belonging to the career centers are combined with 86 location teams of the career development service to form 113 counseling offices.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Bundeswehr offers numerous career paths:
- Voluntary military service (FWD) in Germany is an employment relationship for soldiers in a career of the lower rank Bundeswehr personnel. It lasts at least 7 and at most 23 months. Its legal status is similar to that of conscripts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- A temporary soldier (abbreviated SaZ, colloquially called Zeitsoldat) is a soldier who voluntarily agrees to perform military service for a limited time. A SaZ can enter all three categories (enlisted, non-commissioned officers and officers). SaZ recruited as NCOs and officers undergo general military, career and specialty training. The regular commitment period is a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 25 years, but may not extend beyond the age of 62.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Professional soldiers for life (Berufssoldat) are selected from the group of temporary soldiers. In contrast to temporary soldiers, professional soldiers don't have contractual commitment periods but serve until retirement. The age of retirement varies with rank. It is possible for a professional soldier to ask for early discharge or to revert to temporal service.
- Career in the Reserve: There are multiple career paths in the reserve of the armed forces for officers, NCOs, and enlisted personnel, as well as for civilians who have no prior military training.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Awards
- Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr
- Combat Action Medal of the Bundeswehr
- German Armed Forces Badge of Marksmanship
- German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency
- German Armed Forces Service Medal
- German Flood Service Medal (2002)
- German Flood Service Medal (2013)
- German Parachutist Badge
See also
- Controversy over Erwin Rommel as Bundeswehr's role model
- Day X plot, alleged conspiracy of Bundeswehr soldiers to murder left-leaning politicians
- Lists of military equipment of Germany
- Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Reichswehr
- United Nations Training Center of the Bundeswehr
- Wehrmacht
References
Further reading
In German leaguage
- Neitzel, Sönke (2025): Die Bundeswehr. Von der Wiederbewaffnung bis zur Zeitenwende. C.H. Beck Wissen Template:ISBN
In English leaguage
- James S. Corum (editor) (2011): Rearming Germany. History of Warfare. Vol. 64. Leiden, Boston, Template:ISBN
- Template:Cite book
- Seppo, Antti (2021). From Guilt to Responsibility and Beyond: The Evolution of German Strategic Culture after the End of the Cold War. Berlin: Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag. Template:ISBN.
- Stengel, Frank A. (2020). The Politics of Military Force: Antimilitarism, Ideational Change, and Post-Cold War German Security Discourse. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. Template:ISBN.
External links
- Bundeswehr official site
- Federal Ministry of Defence official site (in German, English and French)
- Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung official site (in German)
- Bundesamt für Informationsmanagement und Informationstechnik der Bundeswehr official site (in German)
- Territoriale Wehrverwaltung official site (in German)
- Y – Magazine of the Federal Defence Forces Template:Webarchive (in German)
- Zeitschrift für Innere Führung (in German)
- Reader Sicherheitspolitik (in German)
Template:Military of Germany Template:Germany topics Template:Military of Europe Template:North Atlantic Treaty Organization Template:Militaries of European Union member states Template:Authority control