Citizens in uniform
The citizen in uniform (colloquially citizen in uniform ) is the model of the internal leadership of the Bundeswehr . It allows soldiers, among other things, political participation and calls for ethical and political education. The element of the citizen in uniform is the central aspect in shaping a soldier's self- image . It has been valid since the Bundeswehr was founded.
term
The term was coined in 1952 by the then defense policy advisor to the SPD, Friedrich Beermann , and was subsequently adopted by the Blank office , which prepared the rearmament .
Johann Adolf Graf von Kielmansegg , Ulrich de Maizière and Wolf Stefan Traugott Graf von Baudissin as the spiritual fathers of the reform conception of the internal leadership are inseparable from the mission statement of the Bundeswehr and its inner structure .
meaning
The principle of the uniformed citizen calls on soldiers to participate politically and to take responsibility. You can be politician or politically active. But don't wear a uniform.
meaning
According to the Federal Ministry of Defense, soldiers are required to educate themselves politically and historically. This is urgently needed to build a conscience. The training in the ethical basics gives the soldier, not only in action, the necessary framework for action. The Inner Leadership anticipates reflecting on the role of the soldier. The highest good are human dignity , justice and freedom. Soldiers should be included in the political decision-making processes that decide about their lives.
restrictions
According to Paragraph 15 of the Soldiers Act, comradeship must not be endangered by excessively combative or contemptuous statements. Opinions and beliefs to the contrary should be respected. With the exception of the Bundeswehrverband, advertising for political parties or political content is prohibited within military properties. It is also forbidden to wear uniforms at political events. Unless this is officially ordered.
Soldiers are always on duty when deployed. Therefore, political activity is not permitted during this time.
history
The legal position of soldiers in Germany is based on this model and was established in 1956 a. a. mandatory by the Soldiers Act. The experience of the Wars of Liberation had shown that citizens were superior to paid mercenaries as warriors. Citizens fight for goals, mercenaries for pay. Furthermore, experiences with the Wehrmacht have shown that soldiers did not want the blind recipient of orders, but rather a person who acted out of insight and conviction.
“The citizen is therefore the overarching term about non-soldier and soldier; perhaps we can say: soldier and non-soldier are two different aggregate states of the same citizen. "
In order to achieve this, the soldiers were granted the right to vote and stand for election and, in practice, a certain freedom of association (see: German Federal Armed Forces Association ); However, the principle includes of command and obedience a right to strike , and the arguments of requests, complaints and petitions in community with others is prohibited. The restriction of the soldier's basic rights was reduced to the militarily absolutely necessary minimum. In addition, the duty of obedience was restricted to lawful military orders .
The inner leadership and thus the model of the citizen in uniform applies to conscripts as well as to soldiers on time and professional soldiers . The inner leadership together with the citizen in uniform forms an essential component in the management training of the Bundeswehr. Inner leadership is always the subject of ongoing training and further education for officers as well as NCOs. Inner guidance plays a twofold role in the spectrum of training: It is a separate subject and at the same time an indication of how the training should be organized.
Since the early 1990s, the framework conditions for military service have changed fundamentally as a result of multinational missions abroad and numerous reforms and restructurings. The voices that question the figure of the citizen in uniform as a contemporary model have increased, especially since the fighting of German soldiers in the Afghanistan mission.
literature
- Wolf Graf Baudissin: Soldier for Peace. Piper publishing house, Munich 1969.
- Marcel Bohnert : Inner leadership put to the test. DeutscherVeteranenVerlag, Hamburg, 2017.
- Ulrich de Mazière: In duty. Mittler & Sohn publishing house, Bonn 1989.
- Marc habenicht: The leadership philosophy of the Bundeswehr (inner leadership) - an idea for leadership also for other organizations? ...! Publishing house Dr. Kovac, Hamburg 2012.
- Central Service Regulation (ZDv) A-2600/1 Inner Leadership - Self-Image and Leadership Culture [1] , 2008 (PDF 453 KB).
See also
Web links
- Article with a short description and case studies
- Inner leadership - the corporate philosophy of the Bundeswehr
Individual evidence
- ^ A b German Federal Armed Forces Association: Which rules apply to soldiers in election campaigns. January 30, 2017, accessed January 14, 2020 .
- ^ Federal Ministry of Defense: Citizens in Uniform. Retrieved January 14, 2020 .
- ^ W. Baudissin, 1969, p. 201.
- ↑ See M. habenicht, 2012, p. 32.
- ↑ See M. Bohnert , 2017, p. 152 ff.
