Welz, Joachim Universitäten der Bundeswehr

An unearthed treasure for tertiary education is the conclusion of the study on the universities of the German Armed Forces. For it was not only the modernisation and academisation of officer training, but also to be a model for future developments in higher education and a flagship for the universities of the Federal Republic of Germany that lay behind the idea of the universities of the Bundeswehr, whose founding process from the White Paper of May 1970 to the start of studies on 1 October 1973 is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Fired by the general euphoria for reform, especially in the education system, the compulsory officer study programme was conceived at that time as a civilian study programme with university degrees. With optimal study conditions, it was to be short and specific. Despite political resistance and the federal jungle, universities were created for this purpose, in Hamburg and Munich. After 50 years, these Bundeswehr universities are a success story that shape the image of the German officer both internally and externally. But this anniversary must also be an occasion to reflect on deficits, improvements and reforms. Thus, the author recommends more military subjects for the Bundeswehr universities, the fundamental opening for civilian students and their inclusion in the political discourse on federal universities.