May 22, 2012
The following articles have been tagged with "Bundeswehr":
National: 18 Apr 12
Germany could fly bombing missions into Somalia to destroy pirate bases, if a plan set to be discussed in cabinet on Wednesday is adopted. The idea has infuriated opposition parties who described it as senseless and dangerous.
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National: 13 Apr 12
The German army is investigating death threats sent to a young actor who was in a television film depicting the Bundeswehr as a bunch of buffoons, the army has confirmed to The Local.
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National: 1 Apr 12
German soldiers are probably burning their fingers and missing their targets in long gun battles in Afghanistan after tests showed their guns are overheating, according to a report in Der Spiegel news magazine on Sunday.
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National: 12 Mar 12
Chancellor Angela Merkel called into question Germany's planned pullout from Afghanistan as she made a surprise trip to the war-torn country on Monday, a day after a US soldier massacred 16 civilians.
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National: 9 Mar 12
Vuvuzela-wielding protestors kept up a constant barrage of noise at a torchlit military ceremony on Thursday for Germany's former President Christian Wulff who left office under a cloud.
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National: 24 Feb 12
Escalating unrest following the burning of the Koran by US soldiers has forced Germany to give up one of its Afghanistan bases earlier than planned.
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Science & Technology: 22 Feb 12
Germany's armed forces and police currently operate 331 high-tech drones inside and outside the country, and the government intends to swell the fleet, according to a media report that has alarmed civil rights advocates.
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National: 30 Jan 12
The German military is trying to determine why the number of criminal investigations of soldiers on foreign deployments is rising – the number of cases last year surged to the same amount as the years 2002 and 2006 combined.
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National: 2 Dec 11
A former neo-Nazi tells The Local how he broke out of extremism, describes violence in the far-right scene and offers his view of the latest revelations about neo-Nazi terrorism in Germany.
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National: 11 Nov 11
The German government plans to reduce the number of Bundeswehr soldiers deployed in Afghanistan by 1,000 in the coming year, according to a letter sent to Bundestag parliamentarians by the Foreign and Defence ministries.
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National: 31 Oct 11
Pakistan’s intelligence agency reportedly spied on German police officers working in Afghanistan, raising questions whether Pakistan is passing information on to the insurgent Taliban about security forces’ operations.
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National: 26 Oct 11
A former Bundeswehr soldier who accidentally shot and killed a comrade has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and disobeying orders and sentenced to two years probation.
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National: 26 Oct 11
The German government announced the biggest cuts in its military since the end of World War Two on Wednesday, closing or significantly scaling down more than 100 of its 400 bases and cutting 15,000 soldiering jobs.
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National: 19 Oct 11
Between 2005 and 2009 the German government approved the sale of huge quantities of weapons to repressive regimes in North Africa and the Middle East despite clear policy guidelines, a new Amnesty International report says.
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National: 18 Oct 11
A US company that trains military medics in field operations using live pigs is trying to bring its courses to Germany. Animal rights group PETA believes the company is using US Army protection to bypass German animal protection laws.
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National: 14 Oct 11
More than 200 soldiers in Afghanistan have fallen ill after eating at a German canteen in Mazar-e-Sharif.
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Society: 13 Oct 11
The Military History Museum in Dresden reopens this week after being completely revamped by star US architect Daniel Libeskind. Erin Huggins assesses the exhibition after the building’s stark transformation.
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Science & Technology: 12 Oct 11
The German military on Wednesday unveiled the new “Euro Hawk” super drone, whose size and range is set to revolutionize the Bundeswehr’s intelligence-gathering capabilities.
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Politics: 1 Oct 11
Education Minister Annette Schavan flew to a personal audience with Pope Benedict XVI using a military jet, at a cost of around €150,000 – despite commercial flights being available - according to a report in Der Spiegel.
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National: 26 Sep 11
German Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière said Sunday he wants to find out why so many volunteers are leaving the army during training. Over 20 percent have quit training since the Bundeswehr became an all-volunteer force in July.
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Society: 21 Sep 11
Fashion firm Hugo Boss, long rumoured to be Adolf Hitler’s favourite tailor, has published a report on its less than laudable record during the Third Reich.
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Society: 6 Sep 11
Josef the goat, the last animal mascot of the German army is being put out to pasture, as he and his ilk are no longer considered suitable for a modern fighting force.
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National: 4 Sep 11
Suicide accounts for about 20 percent of German soldier deaths during foreign missions, according to a magazine report. A spokesman for the Defence Ministry would not comment on the matter.
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National: 31 Aug 11
The German parliament's defence commissioner Hellmut Königshaus has said that “severe shortages“ in Bundeswehr equipment could risk soldiers’ safety.
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National: 27 Aug 11
Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended Germany’s decision not to participate in NATO's military campaign in Libya, but praised Berlin's allies for helping oust dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
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National: 22 Aug 11
As the regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi teetered on the brink Monday, German Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière said Bundeswehr troops could soon help secure the peace in the North African nation.
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Politics: 13 Aug 11
The Green party is to file a constitutional complaint against the German government over the army's evacuation operation in Libya in February. The party says Chancellor Angela Merkel is ignoring parliament too often.
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National: 2 Aug 11
A suicide bomber and two gunmen have attacked the office of a German security firm protecting aid workers in the Afghanistan city of Kunduz, in a co-ordinated assault that left at least six people dead.
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National: 22 Jul 11
The Bundeswehr has a new problem after moving from conscription to voluntary service: New recruits are quitting after just a few days military training.
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National: 17 Jul 11
Reacting to a parliamentary report that German soldiers in Afghanistan are being endangered by a shortage of equipment, Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière promised that problems would be addressed immediately.
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National: 14 Jul 11
Arms deals with Saudi Arabia and Angola have sparked outrage in Germany and highlighted the country's emergence as the world's third-largest weapons exporter. But is Berlin guilty of hypocrisy or just poor political judgement?
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National: 13 Jul 11
Muslim leaders have slammed the lack of an Islamic spiritual counsellor in the German armed forces in spite of the fact that an estimated 1,200 Muslims serve in the Bundeswehr.
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National: 6 Jul 11
Germany, France and Poland have joined forces to form a joint European combat group that will be ready to deploy in crisis zones from 2013.
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National: 4 Jul 11
Germany’s armed forces has officially ended conscription, heralding a new era for the now all-volunteer Bundeswehr.
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National: 28 Jun 11
Germany will supply bombs and weapons technology to NATO for the military intervention into Libya despite its stated opposition to the mission, according to a media report.
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National: 23 Jun 11
The Bundeswehr is in danger of failing its mission in Afghanistan because German soldiers cannot use their weapons, drive their armoured vehicles or take care of their wounded properly, according to classified internal documents.
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National: 19 Jun 11
A Taliban suicide bomber attacked a German army convoy in northern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing three Afghan civilians. Two German soldiers received slight injuries.
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National: 16 Jun 11
The German army can no longer trust the Afghan intelligence services, fearing that they are deliberately withholding information about imminent attacks, according to newly leaked Defence Ministry documents.
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Politics: 8 Jun 11
Former German President Horst Köhler, who resigned last year after he was criticized for saying military deployments had economic motives, has slammed the “outrageous” attacks and accused politicians of exploiting the issue.
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National: 6 Jun 11
The Bundeswehr has launched an investigation after reports that children were invited to play war games at a mock encampment named for a village in Kosovo where the Nazis once committed war atrocities.
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National: 5 Jun 11
An investigative report by the United Nations said German soldiers stationed in Talokan apparently shot and killed three Afghans who attacked a Bundeswehr outpost in mid-May, a weekend media report said.
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National: 2 Jun 11
A German soldier was killed in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, five days after two others were killed in the same region. This is the third such attack on the Bundeswehr in nine days.
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Society: 30 May 11
After narrowly surviving a bomb attack, the wounded German commander of international forces in northern Afghanistan, Markus Kneip, vowed late Sunday to carry on with his job and described the moment of the blast.
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National: 25 May 11
A Bundeswehr soldier was killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday when roadside bomb exploded near his Fuchs armoured personnel carrier, injuring a second German soldier and an Afghan translator.
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Politics: 21 May 11
The Free Democratic Party, junior partner in Germany's ruling coalition, has rejected the Interior Minister's proposal for a constitutional change to enable the army to be deployed within Germany to fight terrorism.
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National: 20 May 11
The German military on Friday admitted its soldiers in Afghanistan deliberately shot several people during a violent protest outside their base in the northern town of Taloqan.
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National: 18 May 11
Two German soldiers were injured and several Afghans were killed on Wednesday after a demonstration outside a Bundeswehr camp in northern Afghanistan turned violent.
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Politics: 8 Apr 11
After refusing to contribute to an armed intervention in Libya, Germany is set to send troops on a humanitarian mission, with major party leaders saying Friday they would support such a plan.
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National: 29 Mar 11
The Luftwaffe has admitted that a German Eurofighter jet accidentally lost two external tanks filled with fuel over the countryside near the Bavarian city of Augsburg during a training flight.
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National: 26 Mar 11
A majority of Germans support their government's decision not to take part in the military action against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, a survey revealed Saturday.
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National: 25 Mar 11
Facing criticism over Germany’s refusal to contribute to the military intervention in Libya, the Bundestag voted Friday to relieve NATO allies by broadening the German mission in Afghanistan.
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National: 22 Mar 11
With seven regions set to be turned over to Afghan troops this summer, Bundeswehr Gen. Bruno Kasdorf said Tuesday he was cautiously optimistic about the situation in the strife-torn country.
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National: 17 Mar 11
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Thursday strengthened his rejection of a possible no-fly zone over Libya, saying it was tantamount to military intervention, and adding that no Bundeswehr soldiers would take part.
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Politics: 10 Mar 11
Former Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg plans to leave office with characteristic flair on Thursday. The aristocratic rock fan has requested Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” be played at his military send-off.
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Analysis & Opinion: 9 Mar 11
Can Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s new defence minister, break the curse hanging over his job? Roger Boyes, correspondent for British daily The Times, takes aim at a ministerial albatross.
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National: 6 Mar 11
Around 150 Bundeswehr soldiers have returned from Libya following last week's successful evacuation mission.
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Politics: 2 Mar 11
German Chancellor Angela Merkel reshuffled her cabinet on Wednesday, making Thomas de Maizière defence minister following Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg's resignation. Hans-Peter Friedrich will take over the Interior Ministry.
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National: 1 Mar 11
The German military could find itself short thousands of soldiers once conscription ends because few volunteers appear to be interested in signing up.
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Politics: 28 Feb 11
Members of Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg’s fellow conservatives criticized him for plagiarizing his doctoral on Monday, with Education Minister Annette Schavan calling him an embarrassment.
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National: 28 Feb 11
The Bundeswehr teamed up with the British Royal Air Force to stage a risky covert rescue mission, plucking 132 Europeans from Libya, among them 22 Germans, according to a media report on Monday.
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Education: 26 Feb 11
Embattled Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg withstood harsh criticism in parliament at the end of the week for copying large sections of his doctoral thesis only to be further attacked by academics at the weekend.
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Politics: 23 Feb 11
As plagiarism allegations against Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg continue to scandalize Germany, a former military officer has accused him of using the Dr. title well before he earned it. But his alma mater denied the charge.
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National: 18 Feb 11
Three German soldiers were killed and several others injured in northern Afghanistan on Friday at an outpost visited just one day prior by Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.
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Education: 15 Feb 11
German military officials are considering pursuing high school dropouts to fill the Bundeswehr's ranks following the end to conscription, a media report said Tuesday. But a plan to recruit foreigners is encountering resistance.
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National: 12 Feb 11
Foreigners living in Germany could soon be able to join the country's army, according to a proposal being put together by the Defence Ministry to make the new, professional fighting force more attractive.
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Politics: 7 Feb 11
The Defence Ministry will not be completely moved from Bonn to Berlin, assured Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg on Monday. Some officials in the region had feared the Rhineland city would suffer financially from such a move.
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National: 1 Feb 11
Two Bundeswehr soldiers are dead and four injured after an accident at a training area in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, authorities said late Monday.
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Politics: 28 Jan 11
Germany's parliament voted in favour of extending the country’s unpopular military mission in Afghanistan by one year on Friday, with a new mandate allowing for the withdrawal of troops to begin in 2011 if conditions permit.
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National: 27 Jan 11
Gorch Fock commander Norbert Schatz has been replaced as scandalous revelations about the famed navy training ship continue to emerge. But on Thursday, new allegations about gaffes by his successor also surfaced.
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National: 24 Jan 11
The scandal over treatment of cadets on the Gorch Fock navy training ship widened Monday, when the father of a young woman sailor who drowned after falling from the ship in 2008 was demanding a fresh inquiry.
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National: 23 Jan 11
German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has called for a comprehensive investigation into potential breaches of Bundeswehr protocol in the armed forces, according to a Sunday news report.
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Politics: 21 Jan 11
German Health Minister Philipp Rösler played the part of politician and paramedic on Thursday evening, after a woman began to feel faint during an event organised by his fellow Free Democrats in the state of Hessen.
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National: 21 Jan 11
German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg on Friday rejected claims he withheld information on an investigation into a soldier’s death in Afghanistan, as well as an alleged “mutiny” on a German navy training ship late last year.
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National: 20 Jan 11
A German soldier messing around with a gun may have accidentally shot dead a comrade in Afghanistan, a parliamentary committee has heard, amid suggestions of a military cover-up.
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National: 19 Jan 11
German soldiers are complaining that their letters from Afghanistan have been opened and censored, with a military advocate demanding an explanation from Defence Minster Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, a media report said Wednesday.
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Politics: 12 Jan 11
The German cabinet voted in favour of extending the country’s unpopular military mission in Afghanistan by one year on Wednesday, with the new plan stipulating that troop withdrawal must begin at the end of 2011.
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National: 3 Jan 11
What will be the big stories in Germany in 2011? The Local breaks down what could be a difficult year for the government but a triumphant one for the economy, music and women’s football.
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National: 3 Jan 11
Germany’s final batch of military conscripts, some 12,000 young men, reported for duty on Monday, as the country moves toward a smaller, professional armed forces.
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Society: 2 Jan 11
Women have been able to join the German military for ten years, and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Sohst, regional chairman of the German Army Association (DBwV), believes the Bundeswehr is better for it.
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National: 25 Dec 10
Bundeswehr soldiers on active duty in Afghanistan are hoping for a quiet holiday, though the situation in the Kunduz region is still too dangerous to relax.
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National: 16 Dec 10
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Thursday said German troops will begin leaving Afghanistan at the end of next year.
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Analysis & Opinion: 14 Dec 10
Not used to glamorous politicians, Germans are both dazzled and dismayed by Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and his wife Stephanie. But Der Tagesspiegel’s Malte Lehming believes that might be changing.
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Politics: 14 Dec 10
After enduring snipes from the opposition for his supposed publicity stunt trip to Afghanistan with his wife, Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg on Tuesday suffered an attack from his own coalition colleagues.
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Politics: 13 Dec 10
Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg’s Stephanie wife has taken the unusual step of joining her husband on a surprise visit to Germany’s troops in Afghanistan, officials announced Monday.
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National: 11 Dec 10
An assessment of the situation in Afghanistan set to be presented to German parliamentarians on Monday underscores the government's dissatisfaction with President Hamid Karzai's administration, according to a Saturday news report.
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National: 11 Dec 10
With just months to go before military conscription is set to be suspended in Germany, the government is looking toward pay hikes and bonuses to encourage volunteers to join the armed forces, according to a Saturday news report.
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National: 6 Dec 10
Germany and its soldiers are disliked by Afghans more than ever before, a new poll revealed Monday, with almost 40 percent of respondents living near Bundeswehr bases favouring attacks on its troops.
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Politics: 2 Dec 10
Confidential US documents published by Wikileaks have revealed that Vice President Joe Biden believes Germany has completely failed to train Afghanistan's new police force properly.
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National: 25 Nov 10
US General and head of international operations in Afghanistan David Petraeus praised the Bundeswehr on Thursday for stepping up their efforts in the north of the country, calling their operations “very impressive.”
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National: 23 Nov 10
The latest terror alert in Germany has sparked a debate over the country’s security structure, with law enforcement calling for help from the military to protect citizens, media reports said Tuesday.
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Society: 22 Nov 10
Germany’s military urgently needs psychiatrists as a growing number of soldiers return home from foreign missions traumatised, according to a Monday media report.
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National: 10 Nov 10
German troops have enlisted an unusual helper in their fight against radical Taliban insurgents in northern Afghanistan. “Hermann” the donkey not only hauls weaponry for the Bundeswehr, he also lifts the mood for soldiers in camp.
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National: 7 Nov 10
German officials attended a wreath-laying ceremony in Frankfurt on Sunday to honour thousands of Jewish soldiers who gave their lives for Germany during the First World War.
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Politics: 29 Oct 10
A Bavarian political scientist warned on Friday that Germans should temper their enthusiasm over rising star Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, saying it could lead to a disappointing “Obama effect.”
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National: 26 Oct 10
Germany’s armed forces are in need of a radical overhaul, while the country's civilian defence bureaucracy is “substantially ineffectual,” a long-awaited official report has found.
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National: 21 Oct 10
Lower Saxony's premier David McAllister on Thursday told The Local parts of the state will be hit hard by the early closure of British military bases. But as the son of a British solider, the issue is also deeply personal for McAllister.
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National: 19 Oct 10
Germany’s planned end to military conscription and its alternative Zivildienst public service could flood universities with up to 50,000 additional students next year, experts warned on Tuesday.
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Society: 18 Oct 10
A 26-year-old man attempted to crash a sightseeing plane above Munich by attacking the pilot, but jumped to his death instead after he found he was no match for the Bundeswehr-trained aviator, Bavarian police reported.
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National: 15 Oct 10
During a service to honour a fallen Bundeswehr soldier on Friday Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg called for a more honest discussion about the dangers of Germany’s military deployment in Afghanistan.
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National: 7 Oct 10
A German soldier has been killed and six others wounded in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg announced on Thursday.
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