The Bundeswehr after the Cold War: German military transformation 1990-2010

This study aims to analyse how and why the German Armed Forces developed its force structure as it did in the period 1990-2010, with particular emphasis given to explaining the large degree of continuity in the German military's force structure in the pos t-Cold War period. As the largest European economy and the second most populous country in Europe, Germany is potentially Europe's greatest military power. The way it has chosen to develop its armed forces after the Cold War has therefore had tremendous i mpact upon European security. This study aims to outline the post-Cold War development of the German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr. At the heart of the research project also lies a small mystery: despite Germany's economic power and large supply of manpowe r, the Bundeswehr has not become Europe's premier military after the Cold War. When compared to the British or French armed forces, the Bundeswehr has usually been seen as more conservative and adverse to reform, contributing less towards expeditionary wa rfighting operations abroad than the other two armed forces. The study seeks to account for and explain this development.