Cultural Dimensions of Violence in the Military

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The experience of military violence in the ISAF operation is not only something essentially new to the society and the armed forces in Germany but also and particularly to the deployed soldiers. It is the soldiers who have theoretically practiced the use of violence as part of their profession and their service in the Bundeswehr for decades during the Cold War. For the first time since the end of World War II, they have now been forced to actively use violence in extreme situations in Afghanistan. Due to the seriously deteriorating security situation even in northern Afghanistan, ever since 2009 soldiers are no longer mere passive victims of violence during ambushes but are also confronted with having to kill, if necessary. Military leaders have had to lead in combat and take on responsibility for their subordinates and actions in extreme and complex situations. Based on anthropological research on military leaders with combat experience, this paper looks at the special challenges that Bundeswehr superiors have to face surrounding combat situations. It further analyses how operational and combat experiences are interpreted by these commanders and how they have an impact on Bundeswehr culture in theatre as well as at home. It is the military leaders who have served in extreme situations who are now striving for an official recognition of the sociocultural paradigm shift that has taken place during deployment. They do not want their Afghanistan experience to become a ‘blueprint’ for all further missions, but they do not want to accept unchanged cultural traditions of German armed forces still adhering to values, norms and behavioral patterns developed in Cold War times either.