The Ministry of Defense withdraws new regulations on the handling of the Bundeswehr with the Wehrmacht
The new regulation has "raised overall doubts about the 2018 tradition directive being a clear commitment of the German Armed Forces to democracy and the rule of law, without reference to the times of the Wehrmacht," the spokesperson said further. With the withdrawal, "the ministry is making it clear that there is no doubt that the German Armed Forces are committed to the values of the free democratic basic order," the department added on the short messaging service X.
The tradition directive issued by the Federal Ministry of Defense in 2018 regulates how the German Armed Forces deal with the historical legacy of the Wehrmacht. At its core, it states that the German Armed Forces are committed to tradition, but that the Wehrmacht as a whole cannot serve as a model for the German Armed Forces due to its actions during the Nazi dictatorship. This is intended to make it clear that the German Armed Forces are a democratic institution and not in the tradition of the Wehrmacht.
However, in its "additional notes" published in July, the ministry stated that a large part of the founding generation of the German Armed Forces was recruited from former Wehrmacht soldiers, some of whom had distinguished themselves through excellent military achievements - and that these men could potentially be part of the German Armed Forces' tradition.
Critics complained that this also included former Wehrmacht members whose democratic convictions were in doubt and who were partly venerated in right-wing extremist circles.
This debate has led the Federal Ministry of Defense to "take another look at the formulation and remove it from the market," the spokesperson said. The goal of the amendment was actually to "provide more behavioral security" within the ranks. However, it has now been shown "in retrospect that it was not beneficial."
The spokesperson made it clear that "military excellence" in World War II alone is not sufficient "to be worthy of tradition in the sense of the tradition directive." Worthy of tradition also include aspects such as value orientation or commitment to democracy and the rule of law.
The German Armed Forces were initially criticized for conceding that some part of its founding generation originated from former Wehrmacht soldiers, sparking concerns about their democratic commitment. Following this critique, the German Armed Forces, through the Federal Ministry of Defense, decided to revise the directive, recognizing that merely displaying military excellence during World War II is not enough to be considered a worthy part of the tradition directive, which emphasizes values such as democracy and the rule of law.
