https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Germany wants to extend its military presence in Afghanistan, where it has the second-largest contingent after the United States, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Saturday. https://www.thelocal.de/20210213/germany-wants-troops-to-stay-on-in-afghanistan Sat, 13 Feb 2021 14:50:03 +0100 germany-wants-troops-to-stay-on-in-afghanistan The trial of a staff sergeant on a rape accusation that started Thursday has highlighted a problem that appears to be on the rise in the German army - sexual assault of female soldiers. https://www.thelocal.de/20200821/rape-trial-of-sergeant-shines-spotlight-on-sexual-assault-in-german-army Fri, 21 Aug 2020 13:04:14 +0200 rape-trial-of-sergeant-shines-spotlight-on-sexual-assault-in-german-army Germany on Sunday voiced concern at reports that President Donald Trump plans to cut the number of US troops stationed in Germany, amid fears it could weaken a key pillar of NATO defence in the region. https://www.thelocal.de/20200607/trump-plan-to-slash-us-troops-sparks-concern-in-germany Sun, 07 Jun 2020 16:22:08 +0200 trump-plan-to-slash-us-troops-sparks-concern-in-germany US President Donald Trump has told the Pentagon to withdraw between 5,000 and 15,000 troops from Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20200606/trump-to-withdraw-thousands-of-us-soldiers-from-germany-by-end-2020 Sat, 06 Jun 2020 12:04:15 +0200 trump-to-withdraw-thousands-of-us-soldiers-from-germany-by-end-2020 Germany is calling up tens of thousands of reservists to help in the country's battle against the coronavirus pandemic, Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Thursday. https://www.thelocal.de/20200319/germany-calls-up-army-reserves-in-fight-against-coronavirus-pandemic Thu, 19 Mar 2020 14:34:53 +0100 germany-calls-up-army-reserves-in-fight-against-coronavirus-pandemic A German-Afghan translator for the German army goes on trial Monday along with his wife on charges of treason for allegedly spying for Iran. https://www.thelocal.de/20200120/german-afghan-army-adviser-on-trial-for-spying-for-iran Mon, 20 Jan 2020 09:57:06 +0100 german-afghan-army-adviser-on-trial-for-spying-for-iran Germany on Tuesday said it had temporarily withdrawn some of its troops deployed as part of the anti-IS coalition in Iraq, in the latest fallout over the US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general. https://www.thelocal.de/20200107/germany-to-withdraw-some-troops-from-iraq Tue, 07 Jan 2020 09:53:43 +0100 germany-to-withdraw-some-troops-from-iraq A German soldier has lost a court battle to keep his hair long. The court however said that lawmakers will need to find a justification for why the rule - which allows women but not men to have longer hair - continues to exist. https://www.thelocal.de/20190201/german-court-rules-military-goth-must-cut-hair-and-beard Fri, 01 Feb 2019 16:49:01 +0100 german-court-rules-military-goth-must-cut-hair-and-beard Germany's military chief said Thursday he was considering recruiting in other EU nations to target specialists like IT professionals and medical doctors. https://www.thelocal.de/20181227/german-military-looks-to-recruit-in-other-eu-nations Thu, 27 Dec 2018 13:22:30 +0100 german-military-looks-to-recruit-in-other-eu-nations A fire has been burning for two weeks in northern Germany after soldiers shot a missile out of a helicopter onto a tinder-dry stretch of moorland. https://www.thelocal.de/20180918/firefighters-struggle-to-control-fire-sparked-by-army-missile Tue, 18 Sep 2018 15:17:22 +0200 firefighters-struggle-to-control-fire-sparked-by-army-missile The US Army said on Friday it would deploy an additional 1,500 troops in Germany, despite President Donald Trump's repeated complaints that the NATO partner is spending too little on joint defence. https://www.thelocal.de/20180908/us-army-to-boost-strength-in-germany-by-1500-troops Sat, 08 Sep 2018 06:51:26 +0200 us-army-to-boost-strength-in-germany-by-1500-troops It is one of Germany’s most controversial topics. Conscription, including compulsory service to support the military, is being debated again after a politician suggested holding a referendum on the issue. https://www.thelocal.de/20180806/why-germany-is-talking-about-compulsory-national-service-again Mon, 06 Aug 2018 17:36:29 +0200 why-germany-is-talking-about-compulsory-national-service-again The German air force only has four Eurofighter jets which could be deployed in the event of an emergency, meaning the country cannot fulfil its Nato obligations, Spiegel reported on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20180502/german-luftwaffe-only-has-four-operation-ready-eurofighter-jets-report Wed, 02 May 2018 13:24:19 +0200 german-luftwaffe-only-has-four-operation-ready-eurofighter-jets-report Germany's Defence Ministry stripped the name of a World War I general from barracks Wednesday and dedicated the site to a soldier killed in Afghanistan, as part of a broader reckoning with the country's militaristic past. https://www.thelocal.de/20180328/military-barracks-stipped-of-name-as-germany-tries-to-give-army-image-change Wed, 28 Mar 2018 17:09:40 +0200 military-barracks-stipped-of-name-as-germany-tries-to-give-army-image-change More and more underaged females and males in Germany have been joining the country’s armed forces, according to a media report published on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20180109/german-army-recruits-more-minors-than-ever-before-report Tue, 09 Jan 2018 11:59:21 +0100 german-army-recruits-more-minors-than-ever-before-report The German government said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump’s decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan was “the right thing to do.” https://www.thelocal.de/20170822/germany-welcomes-us-troop-boost-in-afghanistan-but-wont-follow-suit Tue, 22 Aug 2017 19:19:58 +0200 germany-welcomes-us-troop-boost-in-afghanistan-but-wont-follow-suit Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen informed the country of "repulsive" sexual exploitation at an army barracks in February. But an investigation by prosecutors found she spoke to soon. https://www.thelocal.de/20170607/defence-minister-exaggerated-army-sexual-abuse-for-personal-gain-say-critics Wed, 07 Jun 2017 13:41:12 +0200 defence-minister-exaggerated-army-sexual-abuse-for-personal-gain-say-critics The combined amount spent on the refugee crisis by the federal government totalled over €20 billion in 2016. Over half of the money was spent abroad aiming to stop the flow of migrants making the journey to Europe. https://www.thelocal.de/20170524/germany-spends-20-billion-euros-on-refugees-in-2016 Wed, 24 May 2017 18:44:29 +0200 germany-spends-20-billion-euros-on-refugees-in-2016 Germany's Military Counter-Intelligence Service (MAD) is investigating an officer who called for a putsch against the Defence Minister, according to a media report on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20170523/military-investigating-officer-over-call-to-putsch-report Tue, 23 May 2017 13:40:23 +0200 military-investigating-officer-over-call-to-putsch-report A German soldier died during shooting practice at a training area in Bavaria, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20170517/german-soldier-dies-during-training-exercise Wed, 17 May 2017 11:42:20 +0200 german-soldier-dies-during-training-exercise