Cultural Trends and the Implications for the Transformation of the Bundeswehr
Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to show that Germany has to enhance its efforts to integrate and transform national forces into European armed forces, while retaining its core value of democracy amid a growing emphasis on cultural and ideological conflict. Ultimately, this thesis develops a model that maps out the political consequences of transformation and puts it into an educational framework for practical application in the ranks of the German Armed Forces and possibly beyond. Above all, it is about the integration of different national military cultures and traditions that are based on different national ideas of soldiering as well as the altered meaning of soldierly service in the period since 1989. However, when looking at the present-day German Armed Forces, the lack of attention to cultural transformation is problematic. The neglect of the dimensions of society, politics, and soldiers can be dangerous for the ongoing transformation of the Bundeswehr, not just because of past problems in the German Armed Forces, but also because of the stresses and strains now faced by those armies most directly engaged in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Taking the goals of the transformation of the Bundeswehr into account, this thesis illustrates why the German Armed Forces still have to intensify their efforts for European military integration in the cultural dimension of society.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA451304
Entities
People
- Klaus M. Brust
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School