Unboxing Bundeswehr

For decades broad swaths of society have avoided the subject of the German military. The war in Ukraine has led this lack of interest to quickly dissolve in multiple places, with reactions ranging from staunch 100-billion realpolitik to euphoria at a new turning point. But isn’t there something we’re forgetting? The disclosures about »enemies of the state in uniform« (Dirk Laabs) and the termed »problems of stance« (Ursula von der Leyen) have neither inspired trust nor been comprehensively investigated. It’s high time to take a step back and pose some questions: How was it able to get that far? Why do our fellow citizens decide that they must kill in the worst-case scenario? What is the state of the equipment, self-perception and »inner command«? What do LGBTIQ soldiers and military personnel of color experience? And how do the command-givers and -receivers actually know which »values« they are supposed to defend?
Hasnain Kazim, Journalist, author and ex-soldier, and dramaturg Simon Meienreis talk with guests from politics, culture, academia and the military about their personal perspectives on the conditions in the troops.