Sparta ante Portas – von der Aushöhlung der Inneren Führung

Over the years, representatives of the Athens and Sparta schools of thought in the Bundeswehr have been engaged in a controversy over the meaning and further development of Innere Führung. While Innere Führung in the Athenian sense was initially still defined by the "army in democracy" and the "citizen in uniform", the Bundeswehr's combat experiences in Afghanistan led to a shift towards Sparta. Sparta stands for an army capable of war with a special morality for the soldier, who is understood almost exclusively as a fighter. The recent turn of events triggered by the war in Ukraine has made Sparta acceptable right up to the top echelons of the Bundeswehr.