The Bundeswehr is undergoing the greatest restructuring in its existence. The various arms are being regrouped, the leadership structure is being adapted to new requirements and at the same time the number of personnel is being drastically reduced. In the area of equipment and logistics, new models of cooperation between civilians and the military are being tried out. The introduction of new communications and guidance systems is being supported by the Bundeswehr’s IT office. At the center of the defence task are increasingly foreign missions and increased cooperation between international alliance partners. This has contributed to a considerable extension of the spectrum of demands on modern armed forces. As well as the “classic” core military tasks, civil and police duties are now being undertaken as part of peacekeeping missions. This tasks can be performed better is gender is a systematic part of the thinking.

Defence continues to be traditionally a male domain, even though the Bundeswehr in January 2001opened all career groups for women as well and discrimination against same-sex lifestyles was banned by an order of the General Inspector. These normative changes are now coming up against traditional role clichés and often result in practice to uncertainties about how to behave. The legal enactment of equal treatment must be followed by actual equal treatment in day-to-day service life. Unequal law still applies to civilian employees and male and female soldiers, and men and women are differently distributed in the two groups.

There are several gender aspects which are mostly important in defence policy.