Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr (German for "Federal Defence Force"; 
listen (help·info)) are the military of Germany. The Bundeswehr has a military part (Streitkräfte) and a civil part, with the military part having the Army, Navy, Air Force, Joint Support Service, Joint Medical Service and Cyber and Information Domain Service.
| Federal Defence Forces of Germany | |
|---|---|
| Bundeswehr | |
 Insignia of the Bundeswehr | |
| Founded | November 12, 1955 |
| Current form | October 2, 1990 |
| Service branches | Heer (Army) Marine (Navy) Luftwaffe (Air Force) Streitkräftebasis (Joint Support Service) Zentraler Sanitätsdienst (Joint Medical Service) |
| Headquarters | Bonn, Berlin and Potsdam |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière[1] after declaration of state of defence: Chancellor Angela Merkel[2] |
| Minister of Defence | Thomas de Maizière |
| Chief of Defence | General Volker Wieker (Heer) |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 17 |
| Conscription | No (Suspended on 1 July 2011) |
| Available for military service | 19,594,118 (2009 est.), age 17–49 |
| Fit for military service | 15,747,493 (2009 est.), age 17–49 |
| Reaching military age annually | 445,048 (2009 est.) |
| Active personnel | 207,247 active |
| Reserve personnel | 200,000 reserves |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | € 31.1 billion (FY09) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.5% (FY09) |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | EADS Heckler & Koch Rheinmetall Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft Walther arms ThyssenKrupp |
| Foreign suppliers |  European Union United States |
| Annual imports | Volume of about $1 bln (2009 est.) |
| Annual exports | Volume of about $9 bln (2009 est.) |
The Heer (Army), Marine (Navy) and Luftwaffe (Air Force) form one unified force, not three separate fighting forces. And two smaller ones: Joint Support Service (Streitkräftebasis) and Joint Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitätsdienst).
In peace-time the commander-in-chief is the Federal Minister of Defence, and in wartime the Chancellor of Germany. This is unlike most countries where the head of state is commander in chief.
In March 2012, there were about 207,000 soldiers serving in the Bundeswehr; there are another 200,000 in reserve. Conscription for the Bundeswehr has been abolished in July 2011.
Related pages
changeSources
change- ↑ "Art 65a Basic Law". Gesetze-im-internet.de. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ "Art 115b Basic Law". Gesetze-im-internet.de. Retrieved 2011-06-07.