Enlarge image
Major General Oliver Kohl heads the command academy of the Bundeswehr in Hamburg
Photo: Michael Gundelach / Bundeswehr
Italy and Portugal have the military at the top of their Corona crisis teams, and Carsten Breuer is now a general in Germany as well. In the corona pandemic, it seems, military leaders are particularly in demand. The highest training facility for the German armed forces is the Bundeswehr leadership academy in Hamburg. It has been training Germany's top military personnel since 1957, who often have to make difficult decisions in large-scale situations or missions abroad and also work in positions of responsibility in NATO, the European Union and the United Nations. More than 3000 course participants attend the academy each year, including foreign officers from around 50 nations, but also civilian executives. Major General Oliver Kohl has been the commanding officer of the academy since 2018.
SPIEGEL:
Mr. Kohl, Italy and Portugal have shown the way, now there is a military at the head of the Corona crisis team in Germany too. What can generals do that state secretaries or managers apparently cannot?
Oliver Kohl:
I am unable to judge what someone else can or cannot do. But I know what we are very good at in the military: We have strong problem-solving skills, and this skill is central to all military thinking. Since in military action we usually do not know "what is going to happen around the next corner", we have a training system that focuses on this basic principle at all levels: We are faced with a problem and, in a given time, have to deal with what are often highly uncertain Framework conditions come to a comprehensible solution. General Breuer also went through this training. He's definitely someone who can do that very well.
SPIEGEL:
What exactly do you teach the future top military personnel? What course content is used to prepare you to make reliable decisions in uncertain situations?
Kohl:
Solving unforeseen problems quickly is something you learn as a soldier from the start. The Bundeswehr has a great deal of "uncertainty competence". However, uncertainty does not lead to shock, but to activity. In the leadership academy we train women and men who have usually been in the armed forces for between 15 and 20 years. Three aspects run through all of our courses like a red thread: On the one hand, personal development, and above all the ability to question yourself again and again. Second is methodological competence and third is understanding of the system.
The higher a manager gets, the more complex are the systems in which they act and develop their effects.
High military leaders are characterized by the fact that they not only act methodically and confidently, but also understand and reflect on their own role in the system.
We always encourage our course participants at the academy to change their perspective, to look at problems from different perspectives, in order to arrive at new views and possibly more practicable solutions.
There is no such thing as a “scheme F” in problem solving.
SPIEGEL:
In a company, it's shareholder value that puts pressure on managers.
Many interest groups are also pulling on the head of a crisis team.
Kohl:
Military action is always solution-oriented. First of all, a shareholder in a company also contributes his position; what he considers important should be heard. The change of perspective is also central here. I cannot say per se: what others think is not as important as what I think. I don't even know that at first. First of all, I should listen to all the opinions that other perspectives understand. And then I have to analyze: What relevance does this have for my specific assignment in order to make a clear decision on this basis. Good decisions are always based on good advice. That's one of the strengths of the military, that's what we're brought up to do; Above all, this means that unpleasant things are also clearly on the table.
SPIEGEL:
Are we on our way to a society that longs for military virtues?
Kohl:
I think it's not a question of "military virtues" such as bravery. However, if that is what you call team spirit, then this virtue plays a paramount role in the military. There are no simple solutions to the challenges that we as citizens of this country now have to face. In my opinion, a wide variety of expertise will come together in the Corona crisis team, and then the central question is: Who can do which things best? Bringing this team together at the right time in the right place with the appropriate expertise is the core challenge. Those who do something best should do it. And whether it is a soldier or a civilian is of secondary importance to me.
SPIEGEL:
In Italy, General Francesco Figliuolo achieved legendary status as head of the vaccination campaign. He appeared in full gear and probably disregarded structures and responsibilities in part. A doer.
Kohl:
I cannot judge how General Figliuolo acts in Italy.
But: "Just do it" is not a bad thing per se.
And if you realize that certain framework conditions, structures, etc. are not expedient and make it difficult to fulfill orders, you have to at least try to change them - most things are made by people and can be changed by people.
This also applies to the specific situation in the pandemic.
However, "as a doer", simply disregarding competences, some of which have constitutional status, does not appear in my imagination.
SPIEGEL:
The academy's motto is “mens agitat molem,” the spirit moves matter.
What is your spirit?
Cabbage:
We train our course participants in three roles: decision-makers, consultants and designers, because these three roles make up military executives. And very often there is no blueprint for the tasks that await them. Basically, we prepare for things that cannot be prepared for; and here we are again at the already mentioned "uncertainty competence". The Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant said: "Have the courage to use your own understanding." This requires the courage to discourse and the cultivation of open words - two essential aspects with which we fill our motto with life. At the sharp end of our profession there is always a danger to life and limb of the women and men entrusted to us. That means: thinking through problems thoroughly instead of making gut decisions,is the core of "mens agitat molem".
SPIEGEL:
What kind of leadership do you convey? You can read about General Breuer that he demands top performance and overtime from his soldiers, stays at his desk late in the evening and seldom goes on vacation. That sounds like very classic leadership. Is that still up to date? Shouldn't it be made a little fluffier for people?
Kohl:
I would definitely disagree. “Make fluffy” is not a category, especially since our country is in an extremely difficult situation in which, in the end, it is also about life and limb. As soldiers, we have a serving profession, which means that we often have to do things that are far from convenient. The things that you find pleasant for yourself or, to quote your term, fluffy, have to take a back seat in such a situation.
When it gets difficult, it becomes exhausting; that is the core of our profession. That can and must be demanded of us soldiers. However, a military superior must pay particular attention to his wives and men, especially in difficult situations, in order to avoid overload despite everything - if someone fails, no one is helped. You need a sure instinct to know how much you can ask of your people. This is about care that must be carefully weighed against the fulfillment of the assignment; and the more critical the situation, the more difficult this weighing becomes. You can't learn that, you develop it through experience, and Carsten Breuer undoubtedly has that.
SPIEGEL:
Military operations have always been the subject of controversy in Germany.
Is the perception of the role of the Bundeswehr changing at the moment?
Cabbage:
It is right that military operations are discussed controversially. Helmut Schmidt once said: "There is no democracy in which there is no arguing." The use of military force must always be viewed critically. The deployment of the Federal Armed Forces in disaster situations such as the Oder flood, forest fires or now the Corona operations is unquestionably positive; but that is not our main mission. I was all the more pleased with the public reaction after the evacuation operation from Kabul in mid-August this year. According to my assessment, the Bundeswehr has achieved the highest reputation here, and that in its core business. The general public has seen and appreciated what our armed forces can do; and that in the area for which they are set up. Let's hope that this realization continues.