KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Martin Söffing, a military chaplain with the Bundeswehr Joint Support Command, delivered a sermon to U.S. Soldiers, civilians, and families, during a worship service at the Sembach Spiritual Readiness Center on Sembach Kaserne, Germany, June 14, 2026.
The service continued a growing partnership between U.S. Army and Bundeswehr chaplains through faith, fellowship, and shared religious support. It also gave U.S. Soldiers, civilians, and family an opportunity to hear from a Bundeswehr military chaplain in an American chapel setting.
For many in attendance, the service was more than a religious gathering. It served as another step in building relationships between allied military communities and strengthening the bond between U.S. and German service members.
U.S. Army Col. Eric Dean, the command chaplain assigned to the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, said “religious support can help bring allied forces together in a meaningful way.”
Last month, on May 19, 2026, Dean delivered a sermon at the Bundeswehr Joint Support Command chapel in Bonn, Germany, spoken in German. Söffing’s sermon at an American chapel returned that gesture and continued the partnership between the two religious teams.
“I think regarding missions and overseas deployments, it’s always a good opportunity to get in touch, to learn from our allies, our brothers and sisters in Christ,” Söffing said. “Here for us at home in Germany, these are great opportunities to get in touch and to learn from each other, what questions there are, and to speak about our hopes and our questions.”
Söffing said services like this allow chaplains and service members to connect outside of formal military training and operations. While allied partnerships are often built through exercises, planning and mission requirements, worship services give service members a chance to build trust through shared faith and open conversation.
The service also highlighted the role chaplains play in supporting multinational forces. Chaplains provide spiritual care to service members and their families, but they also help create spaces where people from different nations can discuss values, challenges, and ways to support one another.
Dean said the partnership between U.S. and German chaplains is part of a larger effort to strengthen religious support across NATO formations. “I see a lot of opportunities for us to expand cooperation in the future,” Dean said.
One of those future opportunities is a joint U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force training program called Care for the Dead and Dying, scheduled for September. Dean said the course focuses on religious support in an operational environment and brings together chaplains from multiple NATO and partner nations.
“Last year, when we offered this for the very first time, we had over 100 participants from 12 different NATO and partner nations,” Dean said. “What this allowed us to do was talk about religious support in an operational setting.”
Dean said the training is designed to help chaplains and religious affairs specialists think through how they would care for service members during crisis, conflict, and multinational operations.
For U.S. and German military communities, Söffing’s visit was a reminder that partnership is built through more than training events and mission planning. Shared moments of worship and fellowship can help strengthen trust, increase understanding, and build stronger relationships between allied forces.