Wachbataillon
| Wachbataillon beim Bundesministerium der Verteidigung | |
|---|---|
| Active | 15 February 1957 - Present |
| Country | Germany |
| Branch |
 Streitkräftebasis Bundeswehr
|
| Type | Army, Navy, Air Force, Jägertruppe (Army part) |
| Role | Drill, ceremonial and guarding and security duties |
| Size | 7 active companies |
| Garrison/HQ |
 Kommando Territoriale Aufgaben der BundeswehrBerlin |
| Nickname(s) | Protter or Protokollsoldaten |
| Motto(s) | Semper talis (always the same/great) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Oberstleutnant Patrick Bernardy |
| Insignia | |
| Shoulder sleeve insignia of the Wachbataillon |  |
| Cuff title of the Wachbataillon |  |
| Beret badge of the Wachbataillon |  |
The Wachbataillon (full name: Wachbataillon beim Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (WachBtl BMVg) (Guard battalion at the Ministry of Defence)) is the German Bundeswehr's elite drill unit. The Wachbataillon is the largest battalion of the German forces with about 1,000 soldiers in Berlin. It consists of seven active companies (see list below) and belongs to the Streitkräftebasis (Joint Service Support Command) of the Bundeswehr. The soldiers of the Wachbataillon often refer to themselves as Protter or Protokollsoldaten, meaning protocol soldiers.
The primary mission of the Wachbataillon is to perform the military honours for the German president, the German Chancellor, the Federal Minister of Defence and the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr during state visits or on comparable occasions.
In addition the Wachbataillon executes the Großer Zapfenstreich on special occasions (for example on the 50th anniversary of the Bundeswehr in front of the Reichstag in Berlin on the night of October 26, 2005) or takes part in (inter)national events like the ceremonial oath of the Bundeswehr ceremony, parades, state funerals, military tattoos and shows with its drill team which is the best trained special unit of the battalion.
A secondary mission is to perform (ceremonial) guard duty at the Ministry of Defence and other high profile public places and protect and guard the members of the German government and the Ministry of Defence.
An additional secondary mission is securing and defending the alternate seat of the federal German government in conjunction with forces of the Federal Police. Therefore all soldiers of the Wachbataillon trained as infantrymen and do regular exercises on military training areas (Truppenübungsplatz) in addition to their protocol duties.
...
Wikipedia