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Germany shifts approach from waging war to sustaining peace
by Global Good News staff writer
Global Good News Translate This Article
22 December 2011
The years of continuous peace in Germany have led to a subtle but powerful shift in the country's approach to defence. No longer does military power reign supreme; in fact, the military in Germany is being greatly reduced.
This was the report from an administrator of the Transcendental Meditation Programme in the country when he discussed the recent celebrations of Germany's years of continual peace.
A few numbers and statistics easily backed up this report.
For example, during the Cold War, the West German side had 500,000 soldiers. In total, including those soldiers in East Germany and from the Warsaw Pact, there were about 1.5 million. But now the stationed army in Germany is less than 185,000 soldiers in total. This is a reduction of almost 90% of the armed forces in Germany.
In addition to reducing numbers, the German government has also reduced funding for its armed forces.
The army is reducing the budget for weaponry by EUR8.3 billion and eliminating 50% of their Tiger Attack Helicopters. They will cut civilian reserve forces from more than 1 million to 80,000 and reduce civilian personnel in the army this year from 170,000 to 80,000.
Another change in approach is in regard to Germany's conscription programme. Just last year, it was mandatory for all young men to go to the army for six months, or if they refused, to spend six months in civilian services. As of 1 July 2011, Germany no longer has a conscription to the army.
But perhaps the biggest change of all is one of attitude. The Transcendental Meditation teacher put it simply: 'Germany is not militaristic anymore.'
Instead of focusing on waging war, the role of the army is now on conflict prevention and crisis management.
This conflict prevention is the 'call of today of the military'. Thus Germany is going in the direction of invincible defence, he said—referring to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's vision for attaining a peaceful world through his principles of invincible defence.
Invincible defence is a proven, practical approach to creating an invincible, permanent state of peace and prosperity, based on peace-creating 'technologies of consciousness' which have been scientifically shown to neutralize social stress and conflict.
Reductions in the military and the rise of a prevention-oriented approach, along with other positive national trends, reflect rising collective consciousness in Germany as a result of more and more people practising Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation Programme, the teacher said.
Related articles: ∙ Germany celebrates booming economy, low crime rate, years of peace
© Copyright 2011 Global Good News®
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