Fewer than 1% German soldiers harbor "consistent right-wing-extremist attitudes," according to a new study conducted by the military's own Bundeswehr Center of Military History and Social Sciences (ZMSBw).

The study found that only 0.4% of soldiers show right-wing-extremist attitudes. Among the military's civilian personnel, the proportion is 0.8%, much less than the 5.4% measured in the general German population, the authors said.

The report did, however, find other problematic views among the soldiers: 6.4% have "consistent chauvinist attitudes," and 3.5% have "consistent xenophobic attitudes."

In general, the study appears to be positive news, especially as the Bundeswehr has been dogged in recent years with well-documented stories of far-right networks and terrorist plots involving members of the military.

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In 2022, a Bundeswehr lieutenant named Franco A. was convicted of planning to carry out an act "threatening the security of the state" while posing as a Syrian refugee. In 2017, a nationwide network of armed preppers suspected of planning a military coup was found to include several current and former soldiers. Some German media outlets have even spoken of a "shadow army" within the Bundeswehr that has been ignored by the military's intelligence service, the MAD.

"Yes, I would say the study does offer a certain amount of relief," one of the authors Markus Steinbrecher, told DW. "But if you........

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