The armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany were formed in 1955 in accordance with the treaties that required a German military contribution to NATO. The new uniforms, adopted in 1955, had little in common with those worn pre-1945, unlike those worn by their East German neighbours. The Bundeswehr (Federal Republic Armed Forces) was composed of the Army (Heer), Navy (Bundesmarine), and Air Force (Luftwaffe), and whilst having career personnel much of the manpower is composed of conscripts carrying out 15 months' compulsory service. The Bundesheer consists of a Field Army and a Territorial Army (formed 1957 and charged with home-defence). Fully integrated into the NATO command and control structure, the Bundeswehr deployed with the armed forces of Belgium, Britain, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and the USA as a counter to the Soviet threat. Since the end of the Cold War Bundeswehr personnel have served overseas with the UN in Somalia (1993), the Balkans, and in more recent times in Afghanistan, mainly deployed on humanitarian missions. Initially many West German uniformed formations wore the earlier M1935 style steel helmets (particularly the Bundesgrenzpolizei, or Federal Border Police). From 1960 a new helmet was issued to the Bundeswehr, but whilst it outwardly resembled the helmet used by the United States it differed in having a traditional leather liner that echoed those of the M1931 style. Another subtle difference was that the edge of the helmet was rolled under as opposed to the US model which had a separate edging. Later, helmets were issued with removable cloth helmet covers to assist with personal camouflage.
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