Bundeswehr

The top Special Operations unit of the German military has once again been rocked by a right-wing scandal. Last month, German law enforcement officers, in conjunction with the German military intelligence agency (MAD), raided the residence of a sergeant major who was assigned to the Kommando Spezialkrafte (KSK), the Tier 1 Special Operations unit of […]

U.S. Army Soldiers, assigned to the Hammer Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, fire a 120mm high explosive mortar round from a Stryker Mortar Carrier Vehicle during NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group-Poland mission in Bemowo Piskie, Poland, May 5, 2020. NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence consists of four battalion-sized battle groups deploying on a persistent […]

German authorities have arrested a former translator and cultural advisor for the German military, accusing him of spying for Iranian intelligence. The 51-year old man, who has been identified only as Abdul S., was arrested along with his wife and charged with treason and with breaching official secrecy laws in 18 cases. The accused is […]

The new year will bring a new rifle to Germany’s elite soldiers. In the upcoming months, the HK416 A7, which the Germans have designated the G95K, will be issued to the soldiers of the Kommando Spezialkrafte (KSK) and sailors of the Kommando Spezialkrafte Marine (KSM). The standing order is for less than 2,000 new rifles, […]

In response to growing pressure from the United States, the German government has decided to increase the size of the German military (Bundeswehr) by adding an additional Panzer battalion. The 363rd Tank Battalion, which will bring the number of tank battalions in the Bundeswehr to six, will be formed in late 2019. The 363rd Tank […]

Special operations units are known for their improvisation. Since they are designed, trained, and organised to operate behind enemy lines, having the ability to think on their feet and make do with limited resources is essential. Bring this mindset and attitude to the training room, and you get marvels. The German Kommando Spezialkrafte (KSK) created […]

For the first since 2005, when the war in Iraq was in dire straits, the U.S. Army has failed to reach its recruiting objective. The Army leadership was seeking to add 76,500 new soldiers during the fiscal year 2018. Instead, it managed to sign up close to 70,000 recruits, thus coming 8.5 percent short of […]

Berlin, Germany—German politicians remain divided as to whether German forces will join the U.S.-led international coalition in Syria and Iraq. A new sense of urgency infused the political debate after the Syrian government’s 2017 and 2018 attacks against its citizen in Idlib and Douma, which killed over 70 people. “We are in talks with our […]

There are so many puns and jokes to be had here — but where to start? I was going to say that the Bundeswehr is going to need these new weapons for when they show up late and have to clean up the mess left behind by larger, more active militaries. It could also be that […]

Berlin—Germany will continue to arm and train the Kurdish Peshmerga. The German Defense Ministry announced its intent to restart the weapons program.  The program was unexpectedly halted last week over Iraqi-Kurdish tensions in Kirkuk following the Kurdish Referendum. Iraqi officials claimed that German-provided MILAN anti-tank missiles destroyed two Iraqi M1 Abrams. “We had agreed last […]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country should reconsider stationing troops in Turkey, in the latest diplomatic row between the two major NATO allies. Germany has hundreds of soldiers deployed at the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey as part of Germany’s contributions to the fight against the Islamic State. On a recent trip to […]

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen cancelled a trip to the United States to meet with her counterpart Jim Mattis on Tuesday in order to call an emergency meeting with German military leaders after a series of scandals have rocked the German military over the last year. The most recent and prominent incident is […]