In the Bundeswehr Special Forces Command (KSK) there were around 50 suspected cases “in the phenomenal areas of right-wing extremism and imperial bourgeoisie”.

This emerges from the final report on what happened at the special unit, which the Ministry of Defense sent to the members of the Bundestag on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, "a right-wing extremist network", that is, an "association of people who work purposefully and purposefully on the elimination of the free democratic basic order" was "not recognized".

Even before the end of the investigation, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had ordered that the second company of the special force be disbanded.

Johannes Leithäuser

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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    The final report lists a total of 60 measures, more than 90 percent of which have been implemented to reform the unit. These measures range from changes in the training and structure of the special forces to new regulations in human resources and more frequent security checks of soldiers. In the error analysis, the Ministry of Defense states that the special association has been deployed more frequently and continuously since it was founded. The fighting personnel has been reinforced again and again. However, supporting functions have not grown to the same extent.

    In addition to numerous other assignments, the Special Forces Command almost constantly sent around 100 soldiers to work in Afghanistan. It goes on to say that "the 'supporting pillars' of the support area (logistics, materials management, human resources management and military security) did not grow proportionally and consequently could not withstand the workload in deployment, training and basic operations". The result was "overload, frustration, violations of regulations". Ultimately it came to the "creation of largely unregulated areas". The ministry's final report states: "The KSK carried the load of a brigade, but had been equipped with the support area of ​​a battalion since the founding years."

    An unclear subordination of the elite unit had also contributed to the difficulties: The KSK was previously subordinate to the army command, but technically subordinated to the operational command of the Bundeswehr. This “diffusion of responsibility” led to “independence, isolation” and, in individual areas, to “the emergence of an exaggerated understanding of the elite”. The special status that arose in this way also often resulted in “incorrect reasons for deviations from the generally applicable rules of troop service”. In retrospect, deficits should have been recognized earlier and resolved, the report notes.