Queen Elizabeth II visits Berlin
THE PUBLIC FACE OF GERMANY

Protocol Services

The Federal Ministry of Defence Guard Battalion is the public face of the Bundeswehr. Its main mission: to represent the Federal Republic of Germany at home and abroad.

The Federal Ministry of Defence (FMoD) Guard Battalion – In Perfection

Protocol services are part of diplomacy. Protocol services also include military honours for high-ranking state guests. In the Bundeswehr, these are delivered by the FMoD Guard Battalion. It is the public face of the Bundeswehr during state receptions. Its main mission is to represent the Federal Republic of Germany at home and abroad.

In its secondary function, the FMoD Guard Battalion is to ensure the protection of the Federal Government’s command post in a possible state of defence. However, the primary mission of its servicemen and women has been and will continue to be the representation of Germany at home and abroad. The seven protocol companies accomplish an average of approximately 600 assignments per year.

The ceremonial services performed by the men and women of the FMoD Guard Battalion involve different types of operation. These range from employment as a guard of honour (the smallest type of operation) to the Grand Tattoo – a military ceremony for special occasions – and the honour battalion, the highest military honour for foreign state guests. The FMoD Guard Battalion’s Headquarters and Service Company has a unique and exceptional role within the Bundeswehr Homeland Defence Command’s area of responsibility. It is tasked with firing gun salutes using ten type Feldhaubitze FH 105mm towed howitzers.

In Picture

  • Soldiers lined up with a rifle in front of their chests

    Line-up of the FMoD Guard Battalion with the servicemen and women presenting their carbines

    Bundeswehr
  • The FMoD Guard Battalion drill team during a demonstrates

    The FMoD Guard Battalion drill team also demonstrates its skills at public events such as the Bundeswehr Open Day or the Federal Government Open Day

    Bundeswehr/Rimmele
  • Soldiers lined up in front of a building

    Grand Tattoo in front of Bellevue Palace, the official residence of the Federal President

    Bundeswehr
  • Soldiers are lined up on a red carpet in front of an airplane

    Reception of a head of state and guests at the airport with the FMoD Guard Battalion forming a guard of honour.

    Bundeswehr
  • Many lined up soldiers in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin

    Grand ceremonial line-up on the forecourt of the Reichstag in Berlin

    Bundeswehr
  • Lined up soldiers with a rifle

    Line-up of servicemen and women of the FMoD Guard Battalion on the occasion of the oath-taking ceremony of officer candidates at the Naval Academy Mürwik.

    Bundeswehr
  • A soldier with a rifle during a demonstration

    Demonstration by the FMoD Guard Battalion’s drill team at the FMoD in Berlin during the Federal Government Open Day

    Bundeswehr

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