Germans have a complicated relationship with their military. And while many Germans have got used to the idea of an army deployed abroad for peace and training missions, several scandals in recent months have rocked the faith the country has in its troops, raising questions over the widespread intolerance in its units.
The “Deutschlandtrend” survey, by public broadcaster ARD, widely regarded as the country’s most authoritative poll and conducted among 1,000 adults, found that trust in the armed forces dropped from 59% in July 2016 to 49% roughly a year later.
Germany’s Bundeswehr, a volunteer army since 2011 that currently counts some 178,000 active soldiers, has suffered a series of accusations over discrimination and large-scale right-wing extremism in its ranks.