Academic Year 1967-1968, Unit 3: Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Germany Page: 16
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SOME FREE WORLD ARMED FORCES
Forces Staff College, and the Industrial College
of the Armed Forces.
This academy is under the direct command of
the West German Minister of Defense. The chiefs
of staff of the three services are authorized to
give orders and directives concerning the subject
matter which relates to their services. They can
also assign special tasks to the study groups and
doctrinal committees.
The central faculty includes both civilian and
military instructors who instruct in subjects of
common interest to all branches. These subjects
include military history, psychological warfare,
military geography, CBR warfare, military finance
and administration, international law, languages,
and sports. In addition to the central faculty and
language section and necessary staff-library and
administrative sections, the academy has four
divisions: Armed Forces, Army, Air Force, and
Navy. Each division has its own staff, faculty,
and a study group or doctrinal committee. The
Army division includes one military instructor
each for G1, G2, tactics, logistics, Air Force
matters, Navy matters, artillery, air defense, sig-
nal matters, engineer matters, and military tech-
nology. Depending on the number of students in
attendance, a division may divide into two or
more subdivisions. In this case, the subdivision is
headed by a Director of Instruction who super-
vises the section leaders and military instructors
for that particular segment of the instructional
program.
Upon completion of their two year study pro-
'gram, graduates are expected to serve in a com-
mand headquarters of their own service, on a
national joint staff, or on an integrated NATO
staff. Such assignments require that the officer
be acquainted with the latest developments in
military science and technology, as well as factors
that influence Bundeswehr operations within the
NATO framework Thus, the student must
master the elements of command and control and
understand the capabilities and limitations of
modern weapon systems. Because of the posi-
tions of high responsibility to which graduates can
be expected to be assigned, the development of
the student's intellect and character is also of
major concern to the academy.
Other courses are held here for senior officers
of the military services and senior government
officials. Students in these courses include high
Federal Government officials and state officials,
also commanders of territorial defense and
NATO units. The mission of these courses is to
improve coordination and cooperation between
civilian authorities, national military authorities,and NATO forces. Refresher courses are also
held for officers presently assigned to general or
admiral staff duty to keep them abreast of recent
developments.
The study groups and doctrine committees at
the academy were established to digest the ex-
periences of World War II and the NATO de-
veloped plans for the defense of Western Europe,
with a view to maximum efficiency in the Bundes-
wehr contribution to that effort. Close coordina-
tion between these service related groups and the
numerous foreign officers who attend these
courses have served to broaden the horizons of
these groups and the students. A significant prod-
uct of the group and committee efforts has been
the improved implementation of the Defense
Minister's directive that the courses be instructed
on a basis common to all the services, wherever
possible.
Army staff officer training covers operational
and control problems for the first year and doc-
trine and operations of higher command for the
second. Each year ends with a lengthy period of
joint training. During joint training, students of
the three services are taught in mixed groups by
faculty of the Armed Forces Division. By exam-
ining problems and suggesting solutions to higher
command levels, the students learn a great deal
about the characteristics of each other's service
and appreciate the need for cooperation. The
classroom programs are also supplemented by
field trips at home and to friendly nations, and
by participation in national and NATO maneu-
vers. In addition to this military education, the
student's general education is advanced by a
program of lectures tailored to the needs of a
modern leader. These include politics, history,
philosophy, law, economics, geography and other
related subjects. At the end of the program the
student must also demonstrate his ability to ex-
press himself clearly in one of the two official
NATO languages, French or English.
Equipment
A consideration of any nation's armed forces
is not complete without a discussion in some de-
tail of the equipment used. This was outlined
roughly in the section on West German Forces in
NATO to point out the extent and quality of the
Bundeswehr's contribution to this unified defense
effort. The detailed discussion of presently opera-
tive weapons and weapon systems will be post-
poned briefly. This section will be devoted to an
examination of the factors that have contributed
to the present equipment picture and which can
be expected to influence future developments.
16
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Air University (U.S.). Academic Year 1967-1968, Unit 3: Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Germany, pamphlet, January 1967; Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1010254/m1/20/?q=%22~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting National WASP WWII Museum.