After the discovery of serious problems within parachute regiment 26 in Zweibrücken, the new commander issued a call to his soldiers to actively participate in rebuilding the unit and to report any further misconduct immediately.
In an internal letter dated 19 January, which the “Spiegel” reported, Colonel Martin Holle ordered an anonymous and voluntary survey of the regiment’s internal and social conditions. He urged the roughly 1,700 soldiers to describe any additional issues in their interactions with each other “openly and honestly”. “Only those who get involved can bring about change” Holle wrote.
The regiment had recently made headlines because of extensive disciplinary investigations. Several cases of sexual harassment, right‑wing agitation, and drug use were uncovered. Fifty‑five soldiers are named as suspects, and the prosecutor’s office is investigating 16 of them. Nine soldiers have already been discharged, and further separations are being requested.
The questionnaire is a step ahead of a dark‑field study ordered by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) to assess how widespread sexual harassment of women is within the Bundeswehr.
In his letter, Holle cautioned against blaming the media for the regiment’s reputational loss. He criticized the “very negative, yet unfortunately largely accurate reporting” noting that the real problem lies not in the articles but in “the misconduct of a few among us that have sullied our performance, our name, and our comradeship” he said.
On Wednesday, the Army inspector will present a comprehensive action plan for the airborne forces in response to the scandal. The plan will introduce stricter supervisory measures, structural reforms to improve leadership, and enhanced preventive steps to ensure that incidents like those in Zweibrücken remain uncovered in the future.
