The Bundeswehr (German for "Federal Defence Force"; ) is the unified armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. The States of Germany are not allowed to maintain armed forces of their own, since the German Constitution states that matters of defense fall into the sole responsibility of the federal government.
The Bundeswehr is divided into a military part (armed forces or Streitkräfte) and a civil part with the armed forces administration (Wehrverwaltung). The military part of the federal defense force consists of Army (Heer), Navy (Marine), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Support Service (Streitkräftebasis), and Central Medical Services (Zentraler Sanitätsdienst) branches.
As of mid 2012, the Bundeswehr currently has a strength of 196,433 active troops. In addition the Bundeswehr has approximately 200,000 reserve personnel.
Read more about Bundeswehr: Command Organization, Operations, Awards