German Defence Minister: Cohesion between armed forces and public

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius called for greater cohesion between society and the armed forces on Saturday, as the country marked Bundeswehr Day in honour of the German military. 

Visiting the Univeristy of the Bundeswehr near Munich, Pistorius said there has been little opportunity for interaction between the military and society in recent years, but these kinds of events are changing that.

He called the day “a good way to re-establish a stronger connection between society as a whole and a Bundeswehr made up of citizens in uniform.”

The programme near Munich included academic programmes alongside demonstrations of military vehicles and aircraft as well as parachute jumps. Other bases such as Eckernförde, Nordholz and Munster also opened their doors.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the Laage Air Base near Rostock. “Our soldiers ensure that we are ready to defend ourselves here and now. You can rely on our support – on Bundeswehr Day and every other day,” Merz said in a post on X.

The German Air Force’s Eurofighter pilots are trained in Laage, where 1,000 soldiers are stationed. The display on Saturday included A400M transport aircraft. 

In total, 10 Bundeswehr sites were open to the public nationwide on Saturday. The annual day was launched in 2015. 

By 11 am (0900 GMT), more than 107,000 visitors had already been counted at the participating sites, said Pistorius. Last year, the Bundeswehr recorded a total of around 280,000 visitors.