Internal Leadership and Transformation of the Bundeswehr. Notes on the 50 Years of Internal Leadership in the Bundeswehr

The postwar German Army is 50 years old this year. As part of its leadership structure, it has an advisory body called "Innere Fuhrung," internal leadership. Its brief encompasses fundamental questions of the rights & duties of soldiers, with particular focus on ethical questions. The German Army is in the midst of structural changes, a process labelled Transformation. The major change is a switch from a purely defensive force to one that is available for operational duties all over the world. This has repercussions on the German soldier's job description. It has been an essential feature of the post-war German Army that its soldiers remain part of the civic society. A soldier's right to refuse orders on grounds of conscience has recently come under criticism. A new situation in overseas conflicts is that an army may be confronted by "boy soldiers," children who take an active part in armed combat. This requires new thinking. Adapted from the source document.