Editing East Germany (section)

==== National People's Army ====
{{main|National People's Army}}
The {{lang|de|Nationale Volksarmee}} (NVA) was the largest military organisation in East Germany. It was formed in 1956 from the {{lang|de|[[Kasernierte Volkspolizei]]}} (Barracked People's Police), the military units of the regular police ([[Volkspolizei]]), when East Germany joined the Warsaw Pact. From its creation, it was controlled by the [[Ministry of National Defence (East Germany)|Ministry of National Defence]]. It was an all-volunteer force until an eighteen-month [[conscription]] period was introduced in 1962.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Tom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_8irDwAAQBAJ |title=Comrades in Arms: Military Masculinities in East German Culture |date=2020 |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=9781789205558 |location=New York and Oxford |page=8 |access-date=10 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Solsten |first=Eric |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/96020927 |title=Germany: A country study |collaboration=Library of Congress. Federal Research Division |publisher=Library of Congress. Federal Research Division |date=1996 |location=Washington, DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |pages=169–170}}</ref> NATO officers regarded it as the best military in the Warsaw Pact.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news |last=Trainor |first=Bernard E. |author-link=Bernard E. Trainor |date=8 November 1988 |title=East German Military: Warsaw Pact's Finest |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/08/world/east-german-military-warsaw-pact-s-finest.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801003742/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/08/world/east-german-military-warsaw-pact-s-finest.html |archive-date=1 August 2018 |access-date=31 July 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
The NVA consisted of the following branches:
* [[Land Forces of the National People's Army]]
* {{lang|de|[[Volksmarine]]}}{{snd}}People's Navy
* [[Air Forces of the National People's Army]]