I__. - International Military Testing Association

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PROFESSIONEL SUCCESS OF FORMER OFFICERS IN CIVILIAN OCCUPATIONS
Paul Klein
Studying at Federal Armed Forces Universities
Owing to the fact that the recruitment of personnel for military service was
becoming increasingly difficult, the Federal Minister of Defense set up ,a commission
to reorganize education and training in the Federal Armed Forces. In
mid-1971, the commission presented a report suggesting, among other things, the
reorganization of education and training for officers. In doing so, the conunission
proceeded on the assumption that only by providing a system of education
and training which - besides military requirements - also “considers to an increasing
extent the soldiers’ individual interests regarding further education
could we expect the Federal Armed Forces to become more attractive for volunteers,
resulting in an increasing number of applicants” (Lippert/Zabel 1977,
page 52).
With respect to officer education and training, this statement consequently led
up to the introduction of an academic course of studies as part of the officer
education program. On the one.hand, this course of study was to facilitate the
transition to civilian occupations for temporary-career volunteers after leaving
the armed forces, thus making this type of career again more attractive for
volunteers. On the other hand, it was also expected to be of benefit to all
officers in the course of their service, in particular to regular officers with
staff assignments, as the commission assumed that “the functions of officers in
the fields of leadership, organization, training, and their responsibilities
towards their subordinates today make different demands on them than they did in
the past, and that these demands can hardly be met by a system of officer education
and training which emphasizes a rather practical approach, i.e., passing
on experience previously gained” (Ellwein et. al. 1974, page 12). Finally, the
course of studies was to provide an alternative for regular officers who - for
whatever reasons - might decide to correct their original choice of occupation.
For pragmatical, economical, and academical reasons the commission suggested
that the Federal Armed Forces should establish their own universities. Let tures
at these universities commenced on 1 October 1973 in Munich and Hamburg.
For all officers with an extended period of enlistment, studying at one of the
two Federal Armed Forces universities is an obligatory part of their education.
An officer has three and a half years to complete his course of study. To make
maximum use of this study period, which is rather short as compared with courses
at civilian universities, studies are based on the trimester system.
When the universities opened in 1973, the courses offered in Hamburg and Munich
included mechanical engineering, electronics , economics and managerial science
as well as pedagogics, with additional courses provided in Munich in the f ieids
of aerospace engineering, civil engineering including geodesy, and computer
science. Additional courses have been added in the meantime.
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