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 Social media was abuzz on Thursday with criticism of the German army for marching next to the Reichstag with torches in their hands. https://www.thelocal.de/20211014/explained-why-is-german-twitter-up-in-arms-over-a-torch-light-military-parade Thu, 14 Oct 2021 19:38:17 +0200 explained-why-is-german-twitter-up-in-arms-over-a-torch-light-military-parade The German army will employ a rabbi as religious counsellor for the first time in a century, a firm signal that Jewish life is an integral part of the country, Germany's Defence Minister said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20191211/german-army-to-employ-rabbi-for-first-time-in-a-century Wed, 11 Dec 2019 13:23:38 +0100 german-army-to-employ-rabbi-for-first-time-in-a-century Germany's Defence Minister vowed to take "decisive action" against any cases of radicalism in the army, after it emerged that the Bundeswehr is to suspend a member of its elite KSK force on suspicion of far-right extremism. https://www.thelocal.de/20191202/german-army-to-suspend-elite-force-member-over-suspected-far-right-extremism Mon, 02 Dec 2019 10:00:54 +0100 german-army-to-suspend-elite-force-member-over-suspected-far-right-extremism The German army was hit by another equipment problem, as it was forced to keep its new Airbus Sea Lion helicopter on the ground because key technical documents were riddled with irregularities. https://www.thelocal.de/20191127/german-army-grounds-new-helicopter-in-fresh-equipment-setback Wed, 27 Nov 2019 17:05:05 +0100 german-army-grounds-new-helicopter-in-fresh-equipment-setback Lagging behind other NATO powers in personnel, military equipment, and defense spending, Germany is considering a new idea to revive its armed forces: recruiting foreign EU nationals to serve in the German army (Bundeswehr). https://www.thelocal.de/20180802/german-army-considers-recruiting-foreign-eu-nationals-to-boost-recruitment Thu, 02 Aug 2018 17:51:57 +0200 german-army-considers-recruiting-foreign-eu-nationals-to-boost-recruitment The election of Donald Trump to President of the US has awoken fears that the US will no longer be the guardian of European security. If Washington steps back, can Berlin fill the void? https://www.thelocal.de/20170215/is-germany-military-defence-of-eastern-europe Wed, 15 Feb 2017 17:04:41 +0100 is-germany-military-defence-of-eastern-europe The German army is currently embroiled in a scandal after reports surfaced of "sadistic sexual practices" on trainees at an elite army camp in Pfullendorf, Baden-Württemberg. https://www.thelocal.de/20170201/german-soldiers-accused-of-sadistic-sexual-rituals-and-humiliation Wed, 01 Feb 2017 16:25:25 +0100 german-soldiers-accused-of-sadistic-sexual-rituals-and-humiliation The German army (Bundeswehr) has recruited a record number of juveniles, as the military force struggles to boost numbers since the country got rid of compulsory military service five years ago. https://www.thelocal.de/20161110/german-army-has-record-number-of-underage-soldiers Thu, 10 Nov 2016 16:05:00 +0100 german-army-has-record-number-of-underage-soldiers The German army has had a checkered history, to say the least – so much so that in 1955, it didn't actually exist at all. But 60 years ago on November 12th, the German Bundeswehr was born as a new kind of army for a new kind of state. https://www.thelocal.de/20151112/history-of-the-german-bundeswehr-army-60-years Thu, 12 Nov 2015 17:48:13 +0100 history-of-the-german-bundeswehr-army-60-years