Resilient military families: Challenges and opportunities presented by the Zeitenwende – Germany’s historic geo-political shift

The start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, in violation of international law, shocked people across Europe and, indirectly, marked a turning point also for military families in Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr. Virtually overnight, the servicemen and women and their families were confronted with new core tasks in national and collective defense. At the same time, they were already facing – and will continue to face – challenges in reconciling family and service (e.g. due to multiple transfers, the resulting need to commute or move, overseas deployments, and the diverse military exercises). This now raises further questions for the future: How can – to name just two aspects – Bundeswehrfamilies be both sensitized to and prepared for possible deployments in the context of collective and national defense, but also for less planning certainty in the case of short-term deployments (“cold starts”)?

In such circumstances, it is particularly important to strengthen and foster the resilience of families. This needs to be considered from two perspectives: fostering the resilience of families as a unit (family resilience) and the resilience of individual family members (individual resilience). Both are mutually interdependent. The following article primarily outlines the underlying parameters that shape family resilience in general and the resilience of military families in particular. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of sharing fears and expectations. Based on these aspects, steps for ensuring a resilient partnership and family structure are then identified.