Cadets of the German navy in fomation for their ceremonial oath in front of the German naval academy (Marineschule Mürwik)

There are two types of soldiers serving in the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Forces): regular units and conscripts. Consequently, there are also two types of oaths. That for conscripts is a pledge, since the latter may be soldiers against their own will. The oath for regular units is an oath in the word's proper sense. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 545 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 817 pixel, file size: 275 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 545 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 817 pixel, file size: 275 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Naval Academy Mürwik (Marineschule Mürwik), located at Flensburg-Mürwik in Schleswig-Holstein Germany, is the educational and training establishment for officers entering the German Navy. ... The Bundeswehr (German for Federal Defence Force;  ) is the name of the unified armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Conscripted personnel

Conscripts' pledge:

"Ich gelobe, der Bundesrepublik Deutschland treu zu dienen, und das Recht und die Freiheit des deutschen Volkes tapfer zu verteidigen."

Translation:

"I pledge to serve faithfully the Federal Republic of Germany and to defend bravely the right and the freedom of the German people."

Alternative translation: The Federal Republic of Germany can refer to two things: West Germany from 1949-1990 Germany since German reunification in 1990 ...

"I pledge to serve faithfully the Federal Republic of Germany and to defend bravely the law and the freedom of the German people."

Any conscripted soldier is allowed to deny taking the pledge. In this case, however, he will forfeit any chance of promotion during his service (this refusal is not to be mistaken for the consentious objection to military service, which allows German conscripts to render a social alternative service). The Federal Republic of Germany can refer to two things: West Germany from 1949-1990 Germany since German reunification in 1990 ...

Enlisted personnel

Oath for other enlisted personnel, non-commissioned officers and officers serving for a perennial period or for lifetime: A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ... In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ...

"Ich schwöre, der Bundesrepublik Deutschland treu zu dienen, und das Recht und die Freiheit des deutschen Volkes tapfer zu verteidigen, so wahr mir Gott helfe."

Translation:

"I swear to serve faithfully the Federal Republic of Germany and to defend bravely the right and the freedom of the German people, so help me God."

The religious adjunct used with the oath is optional.