As of: February 12, 2024, 5:16 a.m
By: Stefan Weinzierl
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Discussed at the University of the Bundeswehr in Neubiberg: Carlo Masala, head of the professorship for international politics, and Ursula Münch, director of the Tutzing Political Academy.
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From the perspective of security expert Carlo Masala, the Bundeswehr should also advertise for school leavers who do not have a German passport.
He advocates more diversity in the force.
Neubiberg - "We have the German Bundeswehr for amusement - and when things get tough, we wait for a real military," songwriter Heinz Rudolf Kunze mocks in a song on his current album about the state of the German armed forces, as he has been for years at least presents to the public.
After bankruptcies, bad luck and equipment breakdowns, the Bundeswehr is now primarily struggling with the slow recruitment of employees.
Because of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and in view of many other trouble spots around the world, the Bundeswehr is expected to grow to 203,000 soldiers by 2031.
But in reality the force is shrinking.
The Ministry of Defense had to announce this just a few days ago.
What does diversity bring?
For this reason, too, Masala, head of the professorship for international politics at the Bundeswehr University, believes it is important to continue to address the issue of personnel diversity in the Bundeswehr.
Although since the war in the middle of Europe there have been tendencies in the troops to put the issue aside and concentrate on the core virtues of the military.
In a conversation with the director of the Tutzing Political Academy, Ursula Münch, in front of around 40 listeners in the Stauffenberg Hall at the Bundeswehr University, the 55-year-old called for the diversity discussion to not only focus on the proven advantages for social interaction and corporate culture lead.
“We have to ask the question: What is the point of diversity in a situation in which the Bundeswehr is deployed?” he said.
Diverse groups perform better on the battlefield
And in the next moment referred to a study by the US political scientist Jason Lyall.
According to Masala, he examined how small units perform on the battlefield depending on their composition.
Result: Diverse groups perform better on the battlefield - when they come from a diverse society that largely accepts this diversity.
Since Germany has a diverse society, Masala concludes: “A diverse Bundeswehr performs better in an emergency than a non-diverse Bundeswehr.” Simply because this diverse force knows exactly what value it is defending, namely a society “that enables it.” to live in its diversity.” The best example is Ukraine under Zelensky.
Here, right at the start of the war, a large part of the LGBTQ community took part in military service.
“Have a suspicious society”
In order to solve the personnel problem in the Bundeswehr, Masala would also like to rely on another minority group, the 90,000 school leavers in Germany who do not have a German passport.
“This is also diversity, it is part of our society,” he emphasized.
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Münch wanted to know from her interlocutor why these people of all people should decide to serve in the Bundeswehr.
If you give these people access to an interesting institution and, as a result, possibly easier access to a German passport, then that could be quite interesting for this group, says Masala.
This works in the USA as well as in Great Britain and India - and ultimately contributes something to social integration.
“We have become a mistrustful society,” Münch recalled, “and the mistrust is not entirely unfounded.” There are reservations about trusting individual groups of people.
“The big problem in the Bundeswehr is the right-wing radicals and not the Islamists,” emphasized Masala, who thought he knew what Münch was getting at.
There are 800 suspected right-wing extremist cases in the Bundeswehr compared to six Islamist and three left-wing extremist cases.
Create even more incentives
Münch continued to probe.
Why should these school graduates choose the Bundeswehr when many other sectors are also recruiting employees?
The Bundeswehr must create incentives for these groups of people, said Masala.
In fact, there are already some, for example the Bundeswehr enables paid studies or a driving license.
These advantages are not advertised enough.
Advertising should also not only be aimed at people who already have an affinity for the troops.
It must also address those “who are completely untainted by the Bundeswehr.”
Masala rejects the reintroduction of compulsory military service.
The Bundeswehr should write to every 18-year-old and make them an offer.
To achieve this, the Bundeswehr must change its mentality.
Because people no longer simply come to the Bundeswehr, it has to come to the people.
Further news from Neubiberg and the Munich district can be found here.