Lapp, Peter J. Parteifunktionäre in Uniform. Die Politoffiziere der SED

The task of the political officer was to organise and lead the political-ideological work in the troops on the basis of SED party instructions, military regulations and the orders of his commander.
The leading party organs in the National People's Army (NVA) and the border troops (GT) of the GDR had no decision-making powers in military matters, as they could not interfere with the commander's authority. In the military leadership, political officers were mainly active in an advisory capacity, but their word could not simply be ignored.
Overall, it can be assumed, also on the basis of statements by former political officers, that the SED's leadership role in the armed forces was structured in terms of content and organisationally secured in such a way that the NVA and GT could in fact be regarded as the military instrument of the SED and the party leadership. The term party army was therefore not absurd.
The work, for which documents from the Federal Military Archives and the Stasi Records Archive as well as memories of former political officers were used, does not claim to provide comprehensive information about the role of the political officers or the SED political organs in the GDR armed forces, but is intended as a popular scientific study. From today's perspective and today's knowledge, an attempt is made to limit itself to the essentials, focussing on the tasks, training, deployment and impact of the political officers of the 1970s and 1980s.