New Challenges for the German Security Policy - IFSH

The Information- and Media Centre of the German Armed Forces
April 23, 2006. Location: Gustav-Stresemann-Institut, Bonn
In the beginning, Captain Hauenstein (Seminarleitung) and Friedhelm Dauns (Sachbearbeiter
Öffentlichkeitsarbeit) who are in charge of conducting seminars for the Informations- und
Medienzentrale der Bundeswehr introduced themselves and their activities briefly.
Second, Mr. Hauenstein informed us briefly about the Informations- und Medienzentrale der
Bundeswehr, which is structured in three divisions: public relations, promoting secondary growth
and troop information. In the Informations- und Medienzentrale der Bundeswehr archives of
photographs and films of the Bundeswehr as well as of the NVA (Nationale Volksarmee) are
stored.
Third, after some time for first questions, we watched the film “Entschieden für Frieden, 50 Jahre
Bundeswehr”. Its main message was that the Bundeswehr’s role changed since the reunification
from the defense of its own and their allies’ frontiers to deployments abroad in cooperation with
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) and UN (United Nations Organisation). The first
fighting mission of the Bundeswehr in the Balkans in 1993 represents a landmark in the history of
the Federal Republic of Germany and of its Armed Forces. Two conditions must be fulfilled for a
fighting mission to be called constitutional: There must be a UN mandate and the parliament must
have given green light for this certain action. What then followed were the most important historical
developments of the Bundeswehr between 1955, when the main goal was to have an army which
would be so strong that the risk to be attacked by the Soviets was as low as possible, and 2005,
when the Bundeswehr is at eye level with the other forces in NATO. The challenge for the
Bundeswehr since 1989/90 is to transform itself. In a first step, troops of the former German
Democratic Republic Armed Forces (National People’s Army, Nationale Volksarmee (NVA)) had
to be integrated into the Bundeswehr and the total number of soldiers had to be reduced. In a second
step, the whole Bundeswehr had to be transformed into effectively working Armed Forces which
must be simultaneously ready to have fighting missions and to perform humanitarian missions.
House of History
Andrea Pretis
April 23, 2006, Bonn
The second item on the arrival day was a visit at the Haus der Geschichte (House of History). The
museum, opened in 1994, offers a permanent exhibition displaying the German history from 1945
up to now. 4,000 square meters and 6,000 historical objects were awaiting us. In the entrance hall,
two skilled and charming guides divided us in two groups and led us through the fascinating world
of the past for one hour and a half. The journey began on the ground floor with the end of World
War II. The impression of this difficult period of time strengthened our guide by narrating his own
memories as a child born during the war. Slowly we worked our way up to the top crossing
decades with each floor. On the second floor we watched Germany recovering itself from the war
catastrophe and establishing democracy. The next levels showed the progression of the Cold War
Era and its impact on the rest of the world, especially Eastern Europe. At the same time, we could
admire the material and technical achievements of the proceeding 20 th century. Finally the last level
was reached and therewith the fall of the Iron Curtain, German reunification and the current period
of history. The present day exposition is characterised by the challenges and commitments of the
globalised world. What will the new historical era look like and what will we find in the exhibition
rooms of Haus der Geschichte in the coming years depends on how these challenges will be coped.
Karolina Zázvorková
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