Bundeswehr
Combined military forces of Germany
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| 2025 | Germany aims to expand the Bundeswehr to around 203,000 soldiers to better address increasing international responsibilities. |
| 2025 | German constitution amended to exempt military and intelligence spending above 1% GDP from the Schuldenbremse (debt limit). |
| 2025 | German constitution amended to exempt military and intelligence spending above 1% GDP from the debt limit (Schuldenbremse). |
| 2024 | Germany fulfilled NATO obligations by spending 2% of its GDP on armed forces, marking a significant policy shift in military funding. |
| 2024 | Germany announced plans to expand the Bundeswehr to approximately 203,000 soldiers to better address increasing international responsibilities. |
| April 1 2024 | As of April 1, 2024, Bundeswehr has 1,084 soldiers deployed across multiple international missions including Kosovo, South Sudan, Lebanon, Syria/Iraq, and Western Sahara. |
| 2023 | German military expenditures reached $66.8 billion, positioning the Bundeswehr as the seventh highest-funded military globally. |
| August 2023 | An employee of BAAINBw named Thomas H. was arrested in Koblenz on suspicion of espionage for Russia, allegedly offering information to Russian intelligence services. |
| October 2022 | Defense politicians and experts revealed that the Bundeswehr had critically low ammunition stocks, with only enough supplies for one or two days of wartime operations. |
| February 2022 | Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a significant military enhancement plan in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, pledging €100 billion ($112.7 billion) from the 2022 budget to strengthen the German armed forces and committing to reach NATO's 2% GDP defense spending target. |
| 2019 | Bundeswehr adopted a new personnel recruitment organization structure, establishing five large career centers in Hanover, Mainz, Düsseldorf, Munich, and Berlin, along with 16 smaller regional career centers. |
| April 2018 | Band temporarily relocated to the Bergische Kaserne in the Hubbelrath district during construction of a new training center in Hilden. |
| February 2017 | Von der Leyen proposed a policy for the Bundeswehr to play a greater role as an 'anchor army' for smaller NATO states by improving coordination between its divisions and smaller members' Brigades. |
| February 2017 | It was announced that the Czech Republic's 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade and Romania's 81st Mechanized Brigade would be integrated into Germany's 10 Armoured Division and Rapid Response Forces Division. |
| February 2017 | German government announced a further expansion to increase the number of professional soldiers by 20,000 by 2024. |
| 2016 | The Dutch 43rd Mechanized Brigade began integration into the 1st Panzer Division of the German army, becoming operational by the end of 2019. |
| July 2016 | Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen's proposal to allow non-German EU nationals to join the Bundeswehr was met with strong opposition, even from her own party. |
| May 2016 | Germany announced plans to spend €130 billion on new equipment by 2030 and add nearly 7,000 soldiers by 2023, marking the first military expansion since the end of the Cold War. |
| February 2016 | The Seebatallion of the German Navy began operating under Royal Dutch Navy command. |
| May 2015 | German government approved a 6.2% increase in defense spending over five years, responding to the Annexation of Crimea by Russia. The reform set a required military strength of 185,000 soldiers and included plans to modernize military equipment. |
| 2014 | The 11th Airmobile Brigade of the Royal Netherlands Army was integrated into the German Division of fast forces (DSK). |
| September 2014 | At the NATO Wales summit, attended by Angela Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen, significant equipment problems of the Bundeswehr were acknowledged. |
| 2012 | Consolidation of all departments concerned with Bundeswehr equipment, maintenance, and operational readiness into the current BAAINBw (Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support). |
| November 30 2012 | Military district recruiting offices were officially dissolved, with their tasks transferred to newly created Bundeswehr career centers. |
| 2011 | Compulsory military service was suspended in Germany, marking a significant change in Bundeswehr's recruitment approach. |
| 2011 | Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble suspended compulsory conscription for men and introduced defense spending cuts as part of austerity measures in response to the Great Recession and European debt crisis. |
| October 7 2010 | Lieutenant Colonel Jared Sembritzki led troops during an insurgent assault on a combat outpost near Shahabuddin, Afghanistan. Under massive fire, he displayed exceptional leadership, maintaining control of the outpost and preventing a potential threat to coalition efforts in the province. |
| September 21 2010 | Recruit Roman Wins received the Gold Cross of Honour for Outstanding Deeds for showing great civil courage by rescuing a bus driver under knife attack in Kiel, pursuing and overwhelming the attacker. |
| April 15 2010 | During Operation Taohid II in Baghlan province, Captain Jakob Klötzner led rescue efforts after a Mowag Eagle armored vehicle was hit by an IED, killing three soldiers and wounding five. He commanded the rescue under enemy fire, successfully bringing injured soldiers to safety. |
| April 6 2010 | Private 1st Class Martin Schlaflechner was awarded the Silver Cross of Honour for Outstanding Deeds for demonstrating civil courage by intervening in a brawl, separating the participants and handing them over to police, potentially preventing a more serious confrontation. |
| April 2 2010 | Multiple U.S. Army MEDEVAC crewmen from the 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment were awarded the Gold Cross of Honour for Outstanding Deeds for rescuing German soldiers during an ambush by 200 Taliban fighters near Kunduz, where they risked their lives and helped reduce casualties. |
| April 2 2010 | Sergeant 1st Class Nils Bruns was posthumously awarded the Gold Cross of Honour for Outstanding Deeds after being killed in combat while attempting to aid a severely wounded soldier during a nine-hour ambush of a 32-man parachute infantry platoon in Chardara's Isa Khel neighbourhood. |
| April 2 2010 | During the Good Friday Battle, a 32-man parachute infantry platoon from Battalion 373 was ambushed and surrounded by insurgents in Chardara's Isa Khel neighbourhood. Sergeants Mario Kunert, Philipp Oliver Pordzik, Ralf Rönckendorf, Corporals Maik Mutschke and Robert Hartert (posthumous), and Private First Class Martin Augustyniak (posthumous) fought for nine hours, showing exceptional courage under extreme circumstances. |
This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Training Band of the Bundeswehr, Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr, Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support & Bundeswehr, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.