The first noteworthy point at this year's ceremony was its most prestigious site: Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt gave a speech to 500 Bundeswehr soldiers and 2000 invited guests in front of the Reichstag in Berlin - where the German lower house, the Bundestag, resides.

These 500 soldiers didn't come there by chance. The plaza in front of the Reichstag also provided the stage for another built-in ceremony, as the soldiers where sworn into the Army in the evening.
While such collective oaths were sworn throughout the Bundeswehr's history, it is only since 1999 that the Army has begun to organize them outside of barracks at public places, so that the military can reclaim its place in the middle of society in a symbolic way. Holding it in front of the national parliamentary building though is a completely new appearance. Rather bizarre arguments in the preposition of the event would have almost made it impossible.
The biggest obstacle towards the ceremony proved to be a local authority (Bezirksamt), denying its permission for the event, because it considered the widespread exclusion zone around the ongoing to be incompatible with German law.

[Interruption from Joerg: Two interns of mine noticed the barriers and asked me later, if Obama had already been to Berlin. Yep, the upcoming Obama visit is considered the more exciting event and talk of the town...]

At first it may seem astonishing that the German federal government cannot even control what goes on in front of the parliament on a legal basis. Yet this is just a typical example of German federalism. So other means were needed to overcome this hurdle. After angry protests of high ranking former military and current government officials, Berlin's mayor Wowereit - from the same left wing SPD that is more famous for protesting against wars than supporting the military - came to the Defense Minister's help. Exerting pressure on the Bezirksamt, the last legal obstacle was resolved. Yet the plans of employing 2000 policemen and Feldjäger (military police) to keep protestors at bay clearly show how much popular opposition to such events is still expected by the authorities.

Even more typical was the initial disinterest of high ranking politicians. With the exception of Defense Minister Jung, no member of Merkel's cabinet was expected. With Germany's holiday season starting, I dare to assume that practically nobody among the population would have been surprised of this abstinence. Yet again former military officials and leading politicians of opposition parties started a media campaign, accusing the cabinet of failing to cope with their responsibility over the Army. In the end, Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier, among other members of the cabinet, had to cancel their cancellations and show up to save their faces, as Spiegel (in German) notes.

Precisely this turn shows us how the role of the military has changed: From a neglected offspring to a fully dependent subordinate of the government to what has interestingly been called a part of the "MIC". And indeed as the rather populistic protests of opposition leaders prove - today there seems to be enough popular potential for furthering the army's cause that even national leaders can be forced to attend important ceremonies. The national tabloid "BILD" may not be the brightest star of German journalism. Being Europe's most popular paper, it must have a sixth sense at popular sentiments though. And its resumé for the event was merged into the headline "Two Chancellors strengthen our Soldiers!" (in German).

It is these developments that arouse the impression that the German military from a merely tolerated evil is back on its way to its traditional standing in German society.