Hartmann, Uwe/Janke, Reinhold/Rosen, Claus von (Hrsg.) Jahrbuch Innere Führung 2025/26

Traditionspflege in der Bundeswehr. Hintergründe, Beispiele, Anregungen

The 2025/26 Yearbook of Internal Leadership aims to further strengthen the confidence of Bundeswehr soldiers in establishing and maintaining tradition and to encourage the troops to actively participate in this. To this end, key terms from the tradition decree are explained, existing prejudices are dispelled and the purpose of military tradition is justified. Above all, the yearbook provides practical suggestions for establishing and maintaining military tradition. One thing is clear: tradition does not fall from the sky. It depends on the soldiers of the German Armed Forces and their own awareness of tradition. They can and should be proud to establish and maintain tradition. There are many forms and ways open to them to do so. The Bundeswehr's foreign missions, especially the combat mission in Afghanistan, have highlighted how important tradition is for armed forces, particularly in terms of identity formation. It has even become apparent that maintaining tradition is a matter close to the hearts of many soldiers. Since the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine, the contribution of maintaining tradition to promoting combat readiness has become even more important. Not in the sense of more tinsel, but as a reaffirmation of the meaningfulness of their actions and the importance of soldierly virtues.