Is the German Army Becoming Soft?

Throughout history, one of the proudest traditions of the German Army has been to instill and project the image of the noble Teutonic warrior - strong, courageous, and disciplined. Well, according to this report, that tradition has been abandoned. A German military court has ruled that a male soldier has the right to wear a ponytail.

Understandably, I can't shake the nagging thought of Hanz and Franz doing each other's hair while situated in a muddy foxhole. Also, attempting to display an intimidating presence on the battlefield would seem to be impossible if the adversary forces think they are fighting girly men.

In another report concerning discipline in the German Army, a Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig has ruled that soldiers do not have to obey lawful orders if they don't want to. The court decided that a soldier's "freedom of conscience" allows him to disobey the commands of his superiors.

The net result of the ruling likely will be to kick all dereliction of duty cases into the civilian judicial system for a determination of the acceptability of orders given to soldiers. In other words, civilian judges will oversee the military command structure and decisions may ultimately require their prior approval.

Lastly and on the same general subject is this report concerning the the training methods used in German Army boot camp. A total of 18 military boot camp trainers and instructors were charged for "violent training practices" by the civil prosecutor's office in Muenster. Twenty other soldiers are being investigated.

The charges stem from training activities that included simulation of hostage-taking situations and interrogations. According to military officials, combat preparation for intervention in Muslim regions was not part of basic training. Some of the trainers, however, had served in the Balkans or Afghanistan and wanted to prepare the recruits by giving them the benefit of their experience.

If convicted, each of the 18 soldiers face a possible five years in prison. No trial date has been scheduled yet.

In conclusion, it appears that the country of Germany has not only forgotten its centuries-old military history, but it's also forgotten the purpose of the military, which is to break things and kill people.