This thesis explores the continuity and change in German strategic culture from 1994 to 2023. Germany’s security and defense policy has for long been explained primarily by cultural factors. However, the 2022 Zeitenwende, a dramatic turnaround in German defense policy, seemingly challenges Germany’s anti-militarist identity. This raises critical questions about cultural frameworks and their relevance. This is addressed using an ideal-type analysis based on a fourth-generation, weak interpretivist framework for strategic culture, with perception of the strategic environment and doctrine as its dimensions. By analyzing key policy documents from 1994 to 2023, the analysis finds that German strategic culture has been changing over this period, while maintaining several attributes. The perception of the strategic environment has shifted from peaceful to competitive, while doctrine has shifted between territorial defense and expeditionary forces. By setting out from the cultural underpinnings of doctrine, the analysis shows how shocks to the perception of the strategic environment can challenge prevailing ideas, as well as the continued relevance of cultural frameworks. The framework re-frames previous research on German strategic culture and provides a model for how similar studies can be conducted in other contexts. It also calls for further investigation into the political processes involved in these shifts, offering many possibilities for future research.