Darmstädter Signal is an independent organization (military watchdog group) opposing weapons of mass destruction and the primary use of military means to solve conflicts. It was founded in 1983 as a group of officers, soldiers and civil Army employees of the German Bundeswehr. According to its mission statement, the organization respects the German Army's role-defending the country within the existing legal framework, but strives to give critical feedback about the Army's mission and alternative non-military concepts of conflict resolution. The Darmstädter Signal sees the central task of the Bundeswehr in defence of freedom and democracy as basic principles of the country.

History

The organization was founded during September 1983 in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

by 20 officers and Unteroffizier. The main point of the pacifist appeal "Darmstädter Signal" was opposition to the deployment of new

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

/missiles in Central Europe as a result of the NATO Double-Track Decision. To this day, the working group demands the removal of weapons of mass destruction and of American nuclear weapons in Germany. Supporters of the DS on March 15, 1986 founded the development association of the DS. Today, 130 members belong to the working group and 200 supporters in the development association. Annually, two to three workshops and public meetings take place to define positions and to draw attention to new developments through talks and lectures. Several former Federal Ministers, active and former members of the German Federal Parliament/ Bundestag as well as several former Generals of the Bundeswehr are members of the development association. Spokesmen of the development association were Horst-Eberhard Richter, Gernot Erler and

Konrad Gilges Konrad is a German (with variants ''Kunz'' and ''Kunze'') given name and surname that means "bold counselor" and may refer to: People Given name Surname *Alexander Konrad (1890–1940), Russian explorer *Antoine Konrad (born 1975), birth name o ...

. Since autumn 2013, the retired General-Surgeon Karl Wilhelm Demmer is in this function.

Goals

On the basis of the principle of Inner Leadership (= leadership & participation & education) ( Innere Führung) with its corollary of the citizen in uniform Rose, Juergen. Demokratisierung der Bundeswehr als Schritt auf dem Weg zum Frieden. ( Staatsbuerger in Uniform) the "Signalers" use their fundamental right of free speech also in public and contribute to assure that the norms and values of the German Basic Law remain embedded in the Bundeswehr. The concept of Innere Führung was introduced during the early years of foundation of the new German armed forces after World War II and especially advocated by Lieutenant General Wolf Graf von Baudissin. It is a hallmark making the difference between Bundeswehr and Wehrmacht. Important goals of the Working Group are the removal of nuclear warheads and the democratization of armed forces. Darmstädter Signal does not reflect a general or official image of the mood and opinion in the German armed forces. The 25th anniversary of the organization was celebrated in the House of History in Bonn with a laudatio by Egon Bahr. For 27 years, Helmuth Prieß had been the spokesman of the Signal.

Demands

*Absolute precedence of peace keeping and peaceful solutions of conflicts over military missions. *Strict abidance of the army to constitutional principles and international law. *Empowerment of UN and OSCE *Removal of all weapons of mass destruction *National defence in alliance *Reduction of the German Army to 120,000 soldiers *No participation in peace-enforcing military missions *Participation in peace-keeping Blue Beret Missions *Removal of the atomic warheads from Buechel and RamsteinLeyendecker, Hans; Obermaier, Frederik; Obermayer, Bastian (11 December 2013). "Secret U.S. drone bases in Germany revealed". International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Retrieved 28 February 2017. *No in-country missions of the German armed forces *End of weapon exports *Democratization of armed forces *Open discussion of ethic questions of soldierhood

References

External links

* *https://www.uni-marburg.de/konfliktforschung/publikationen/wp14.pdf *http://hdl.handle.net/10945/28882; Donald Abenheim: The Citizen in Uniform: Reform and its Critics in the Bundeswehr, Monterey, California, 1988-02, Calhoun, The NPS institutional Archive *http://www.weissbuch.org/den-fortgesetzten-rechtsbruch-unmissverstaendlich-beenden/ *https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/aktuelles-presse/aktuelles/aktdetnewsl/news/detail/artikel/die-einfache-evidenz-der-gefahr.html {{Authority control Bundeswehr Civic and political organisations of Germany Darmstadt