Professional Soldiers and Citizens in Uniform: Some Thoughts on Innere Führung from a Transatlantic Perspective. By Donald Abenheim and Carolyn C. Halladay
In short by Cornelius Sturm
The diversity and intensity of contemporary conflict scenarios demand a strengthening and reform of Innere Führung. By making this assertion, Donald Abenheim and Carolyn C. Halladay take a stand against critics who regard the ethos of the Bundeswehr as outdated. Instead, the concept of Innere Führung should serve as a model for other armed forces such as the US Army.
To support these assertions, Abenheim and Halladay draw a historical comparison between the German and American armed forces. In both armies, a change can be seen in the job profile, from the citizen in uniform or citizen-at-arms toward the professional soldier. This entails a growing distance from everything civilian. Faced with the threat of alienation, the authors call upon the military, policy-makers and society to give each other mutual support.
Cohesion of this kind is all the more important in view of the dangers that Germany, Europe and the United States are currently confronted with. Hybrid warfare, the fight against fanatical terrorists, and the development of advanced weapons technologies pose new challenges for the armed forces. To cope with these challenges, the authors believe that a reconnection with democracy is essential, via a revitalized Innere Führung.