Armed Forces and Units

Bundeswehr

Modern

The Bundeswehr is the unified armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany, established in 1955 during the Cold War as part of West Germany's rearmament and integration into NATO, a decision made only a decade after World War II amid considerable domestic and international controversy over reconstituting a German military. Deliberately designed under the doctrine of Innere Fuhrung, or leadership development and civic education, to instill democratic values, subordination to civilian government and individual soldiers' rights to conscientious objection within the ranks, the Bundeswehr's institutional culture was consciously built in contrast to the unquestioning obedience associated with the Wehrmacht and earlier German military traditions. Organized around army, navy and air force branches, the Bundeswehr remained a purely territorial-defense-oriented force through most of the Cold War before gradually expanding its mandate to include participation in NATO and United Nations peacekeeping and stabilization operations abroad following German reunification in 1990, including deployments to the Balkans and Afghanistan. Long maintained through conscription, the Bundeswehr suspended compulsory military service in 2011, transitioning to an all-volunteer force, before renewed security concerns following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine prompted a major German government commitment to substantially increased defense spending and modernization.

Facts

Force Type

Force Type (category)

Army 1

Force Type (category)

Navy 1

Force Type (category)

Air Force 1

Force Type

Unified tri-service armed forces (army, navy, air force) with a joint support command 1

Founded Year

1955 1

Country

Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) 1

Connections

Associated With

Eurofighter Typhoon

The Eurofighter Typhoon, built by a European consortium including Germany, has equipped the Bundeswehr since the early 2000s

Heckler & Koch G3

The Heckler and Koch G3 was the Bundeswehr's standard battle rifle from 1959 into the 1990s

Leopard 2

The Leopard 2 has been the Bundeswehr's main battle tank since 1979

MP5 Submachine Gun

The MP5 submachine gun, originally developed by Heckler and Koch, became a standard German service weapon of the Bundeswehr

Fought In

Cold War

Source Wikipedia: Bundeswehr

Operates

TPz Fuchs

Source Wikipedia: TPz Fuchs

Walther P22

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Walther P22

Walther PPQ

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Walther PPQ (Polizei Pistole Quick defense)

Walther WA 2000

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Walther WA2000

Showing 51 to 54 of 54 in Operates, page 2 of 2.

In the Other Atlases

Found In

Germany

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Wikidata: Bundeswehr

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Bundeswehr

Wikipedia

Lead paragraph 1
are the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany.
History section, Cold War subsection
The Bundeswehr was officially established on the 200th birthday of Scharnhorst on 12 November 1955.
Fought In: Cold War, Lead
During the Cold War the Bundeswehr was the backbone of NATO's conventional defence in Central Europe.