Section 12 of the Soldiers’ Act begins: Der Zusammenhalt der Bundeswehr beruht wesentlich auf Kameradschaft. The cohesion of the armed forces rests essentially on comradeship. It obliges every soldier to respect the dignity, honor and rights of a comrade and to stand by him in need and danger. In a judgment of January 2025, published in June 2025, the Federal Administrative Court explained that comradeship is nicht nur eine ethische Kategorie, sondern eine im Soldatengesetz vorgeschriebene Rechtspflicht, not only an ethical category but a legal duty under the Soldiers’ Act. The legislature did not want ein ethisches Maximum an Kameradschaft, sondern nur ein rechtliches Minimum, an ethical maximum of comradeship, but only a legal minimum. This minimum means respect for the rights and interests of others.