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Germany sacks head of Land Forces Training Command: report

Xinhua, April 26, 2017 Adjust font size:

Following the slow investigation of abuse cases in the German army's training units, Defense Minister von der Leyen dismissed the Chief of Land Forces Training Command, Major General Walter Spindler, according to a report by the German news magazine Der Spiegel.

Brigadier General Norbert Wagner, currently stationed as the Chief of Training Command in Muenster, will take over the post of head of training in Leipzig.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed the reason for the dismissal is the slow and incomplete investigation conducted by the German army.

Spindler has not appropriately addressed a complaint of verbal abuse and forced punitive actions against two training unit instructors lodged in May 2016. The German Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces was not made aware of the complaints or of the actions taken against the instructors.

The German army has made the news in recent months with several cases of degrading training practices and other abuses.

The investigation report into the cases in January spoke of "grave deficits in leadership, training, education and administrative supervision".

Von der Leyen has announced a thorough and systematic revision of the cases. The Ministry of Defense plans to increase administrative supervision and improve the reporting and training system. Endit