Also this year, from 25 to 26 August 2026, about 50 servicewomen and servicemen from all branches of the Bundeswehr will again undertake parachute jump training over Schwielowsee. Over two days, the Operational Command of the Bundeswehr trains its personnel as well as guest parachutists from across the Bundeswehr in parachute jumps into the water. In the training conducted in a cordoned-off area of the lake, the aim is to keep the participants in practice and, in part, to maintain their jump licenses.
Parachute Emergency Procedures Must Also Be Practiced
To that end, they are transported into the airspace over Geltow and Petzow aboard a civilian M28 Skytruck from Berlin-Gatow. At an altitude of just under 500 meters, the soldiers jump from the aircraft and land in Schwielowsee. Normally, parachute jumps take place from an altitude of 4,000 meters. But emergency procedures also have to be practiced, including water landings. Shortly after landing, the soldiers are picked up by inflatable boats and brought ashore.
The Operational Command of the Bundeswehr, established in October 2024 as part of the structural reform following the Osnabrück Decree, is responsible for national and inter-service joint operations planning, command, and evaluation within the Bundeswehr. It serves as the central contact point for civilian authorities at federal and state levels and as the Single Point of Contact for the armed forces of allied nations as well as multinational partners and actors.
