Researcher: There is extreme threat in German military
According to a new study conducted by military history and social science (ZMSBW) Military Bundesvehar Center, less than 1 percent of German soldiers “continued to continue the outlook of the right-wing-bearers”.The study found that only 0.4 percent of soldiers show the right-wing-western-hergist attitude. The authors said that among the civic personnel of the army, the ratio is 0.8 percent, which is much less than 5.4 percent measured in the common German population.However, the report received other problematic views among the soldiers: 6.4 percent “has a continuous outpost approach,” and 3.5 percent “has a frequent Xenophobic approach”.In general, the study appears to be a positive news, especially in recent years with a dog with a well-to-over-far-flung network and the well-written stories of terrorist plots that have been included with army members.In 2022, an act was blamed for “threatening to protect the security”, presenting a Bundesvehar Lieutenant named Franco A as a Syrian refugee. In 2017, a nationwide network of armed prepersers was found to include several current and ex -servicemen on suspicion of planning a military coup. Some German media outlets have also spoken of a “Chhaya Army” within Bundesvehar ignored by the army’s intelligence service, The Mad Mad.
What is expected of a voluntary survey:
“Yes, I would say that the study offers a certain amount of relief,” one of the authors told DW. “But if you do percent-0.4 percent-principle extracts, we still have a high three digits of people in the army.”Broadly chimes with MAD data: The Ministry of Defense says that, in 2023, the MAD was investigating 1,049 cases of suspected extremism in the armed forces, of which 776 were right, 22 were leftist, and 51 were Islamists. Bundesvehar currently employs over 260,000 people, including 180,000 soldiers and 80,000 civilian personnel.For the new ZMSBW study, more than 4,300 interviews were conducted with military personnel at the end of 2022, as well as 18 small-groups discussed on eight military bases across Germany.The stynebrecher admitted that a study based on mainly voluntary surveys has its shortcomings. “People, of course, can put their cross anywhere, even if they have other opinions; we know about it,” he said. “Therefore, in different stages, we made various checks, so that it can be known how big it can be.”However, some suspect how useful the survey is. Anke Hoffstadt, a far-fetched overwhelming researcher at the University of Applied Sciences at Dasseldorf, said the survey was academically sound, but said that ZMSBW is part of Bundesvehar.“They are independent and are fixed for scientific standards, but of course, they are within the structure they are seeing,” Hofstad told DW.Hofstad also stated that the respondents may have been affected from the time of surveys, in view of additional political inquiry on the Bundesvehar in 2022 and the right-wing in the police.In 2020, the then Defense Minister Annegrate Cramp-Karenbire dissolved an entire company of the elite KSK commando unit in Calw city following the details of a infamous “pig’s head” party. At the party in 2017, the soldiers allegedly shown Hitler salute, hired sex workers, heard a distant rock music, and made a pig’s head around.Also in 2020, Bundesvehar admitted that some 60,000 rounds of it were unaware of it.“So at that time, everyone in Bundesvehar knows that they are in the headlines,” Hofstad said. “The study is not a failure, or in bad belief, but I would recommend an important reading.”
,Citizens in uniform’
Survey authors also said that people with right-wing extremist ideas “show increased interest in joining the armed forces”-although it does not mean that they will find their way into the army. “Being interest does not mean they apply, and apply does not mean that they will be accepted,” as the stynebrecher said.In fact, there are important obstacles: new applicants must pass security examinations before recruitment, and the rules of privacy are suspended to doctors who do medical examinations, so they can report tattoos that may indicate extremist ideas.German military personnel are committed not only to defend the country and its constitution, or basic laws, but also have a legal duty to actively defend democratic rights – this means, for example, when one expresses extremist ideas, it is voicing the opposition. German soldiers, in other words, are considered to be a completely responsible “citizen in uniform” for maintaining the original law. Some opinions, such as holocaust refuses, are banned in the armed forces.Despite these security measures, Hofstad does not believe that Bundesvehar is enough to keep the extremist approach out of the army, especially in the context of a comprehensive society where the right-wing approaches are rapidly normal-like the success of the distant option for Germany (AFD) is shown successfully.He said, “There have been many ‘isolated cases’ in the army to rely on the power of this gatekeeping.” “They have a lot of seminars and meetings and political education, but in bases, there is not much close awareness about the complexity of modern right -wing mentality.”Steinbreature is less pessimistic, arguing that the German army has strong anti -opposing extreme measures in the most space. “I think it has become a priority,” he said. “I am also involved in an international research project with NATO countries, and I have to say that Germany actually moves forward when it comes to prevention of extremism.”Nevertheless, the stynebrecher warned that, with the German government now determined to increase recruitment, and perhaps to re -present any kind of military service, it can be more difficult to exclude the check with the same degree.Hofstad said, “We cannot put our hands on our lap.” “We can say, ‘Oh, less than one percent, Phew, everything is fine.” But this can be the tip of the iceberg.
