World War I was one of the first major wars in which intelligence was a key aspect of strategy and success on the battlefield. Throughout Europe many nations began to establish covert operations to gain access to the military secrets of their opposition. Germany was a nation that participated in this trend. However, their collection of intelligence did not involve much covert action. Rather, German intelligence officers used overt intelligence collection methods, including using both personal relationships and enemy news sources to predict enemy movements and strategy. Therefore, collection was the most important element of intelligence prior to World War I for Germany, as it led to early success on the battlefield. Leading up to World War I, the primary manner in which intelligence collection occurred within the German military was not through covert means, but rather personal relationships with opposing military leaders. This caused the information that was disseminated to be reasonably more accurate than other forms of collection. As Holger H. Herwig notes in his article on German intelligence before World War I, “In general, Germany’s military and Naval Envoys eschewed the secret gathering of intelligence, preferring instead to cultivate social contracts.” These social contacts were instrumental in establishing the military buildup of a multitude of Germany’s possible enemies. This is an important example of the effectiveness of Germany’s collection efforts before World…
enormously with the continued visitations of foreign citizens. According to the BBC World Service team, who conducted a survey around the globe, Germany was voted the number one most popular country in the world. Ranking as the number one most popular country throughout the globe means a great deal to Germany (2). The new German government does not want to reenact its actions from World War II ever again. Die Bundeswehr, the German military, would operate as a completely different force…
The 606 ACS participated in quarterly training events with our host nation Bundeswehr (unified armed forces of Germany) counterparts. During these events we would spend time building relationships, discussing cultural differences and similarities, and formulating ideas on how to better train with each other. Additionally, our down range operations team included members of the UK Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). We would dedicate at…
PROMETHEUS, a project headed by major car manufacturers from six European countries, began in January of 1987 with the aim of finding a solution for inefficient transportation which is both harmful to the environment and incredibly unsafe.3 Through this project, Mercedes-Benz and Bundeswehr University Munich became pioneers for the autonomous vehicle industry, successfully building a driverless car.3 With the help of a number of electronics companies, universities, and other institutions, a…
Democrats and the FDP which had campaigned for a coalition with the CDU led by Erhard rather than Adenauer. Despite its pledge not to enter a coalition led by Adenauer, the FDP did just that after long negotiations, though on condition that Adenauer agrees to hand over a successor before the next election in 1965. Nevertheless, the FDP’s creditability suffered, and its performance in a series of state elections in 1962 and 1963 was significantly lower than its national performance in…
arena, is used to protect a nation’s interests by influencing potential competitors or partners. The most important instrument of power available to a nation-state is military power. The role of the armed forces is to protect and defend the country from the threats and enemies. Armed forces’ missions and tasks are written or derived from the Constitution and can slightly differ from country to country. For example, in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States is written "…provide…
self-driving cars are implemented in life by Google. In Mountain View, California and Austin, Texas people can already see driverless cars on the streets. How is it possible and is it going to spread all over the world in the near future? This is exactly the question. To find an answer, let’s go to origins first and then consider if the idea is really rational. Following the definition of Google self-driving cars are vehicles designed to drive safely around objects like pedestrians, cyclists,…
Bundesrat (federal council) of delegates from Länder governments also participates in the legislative process at the federal level. The Basic Law forms the legal and political foundation of government. It binds legislation to the constitutional order. Special significance is attached to the basic rights anchored in the Basic Law. Germany supports peace, democracy and human rights as well as environmental and climate protection worldwide in cooperation with its European and transatlantic…