Inspector General of the Bundeswehr
Encyclopedia
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
, the German armed forces. Normally in the rank of a (four-star) general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
or admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
, he heads the Führungsstab der Streitkräfte, the German General Staff, and is the direct military advisor to the Federal Minister of Defence and his ministry
Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)
The Federal Ministry of Defence is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany...
.
Following the resignation of General Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Wolfgang Schneiderhan (General)
Wolfgang Schneiderhan is a German general who served as Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, from 2002 to 2009.-Military career:...
in November 2009, the Vice Chief of Defence of the Bundeswehr, General Johann-Georg Dora supported some of the roles of the General Inspector, until General Volker Wieker succeeded as Chief of Staff on January 21, 2010.
Chiefs of Staff, Bundeswehr since 1957
| Timeframe | Name | Branch | Minister | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957–1961 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Adolf Heusinger Adolf Heusinger Adolf Heusinger was a German General. He briefly served as Chief of the General Staff of the Army during World War II and served as the first Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, the West German armed forces, from 1957 to 1961... (1897–1982) |
Army (Heer Heer Heer is German for "army". Generally, its use as "army" is not restricted to any particular country, so "das britische Heer" would mean "the British army".However, more specifically it can refer to:*An army of Germany:... ) |
Franz Josef Strauß |  |
| 1961–1963 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Friedrich Foertsch Friedrich Foertsch Friedrich Albert Foertsch was a German general serving during World War II and from 1961 to 1963 the second Inspector General of the Bundeswehr .... (1900–1976) |
Army (Heer) | Franz Josef Strauß Kai-Uwe von Hassel |
 |
| 1964–1966 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Heinz Trettner (1907–2006) |
Army (Heer) | Kai-Uwe von Hassel |  |
| 1966–1972 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Ulrich de Maizière Ulrich de Maizière Ulrich de Maizière was a German general. He served as an aide to general Adolf Heusinger during World War II and later succeeded Heusinger as Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr, holding the position from 1966 to 1972... (1912–2006) |
Army (Heer) | Kai-Uwe von Hassel Helmut Schmidt Gerhard Schröder |
 |
| 1972–1976 | Admiral Admiral Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"... Armin Zimmermann (1917–1976) |
Navy (Deutsche Marine) | Georg Leber |  |
| 1976–1978 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Harald Wust (* 1921-2010) |
Air Force (Luftwaffe Luftwaffe Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.... ) |
Georg Leber | |
| 1978–1983 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Jürgen Brandt (1922–2003) |
Army (Heer) | Manfred Wörner Hans Apel |
|
| 1983–1986 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Wolfgang Altenburg Wolfgang Altenburg Wolfgang Altenburg is a retired German general. He served as Chief of Staff of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, from 1996 to 1999, and as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1986 to 1989.-Biography:... (*1928) |
Army (Heer) | Manfred Wörner |  |
| 1986–1991 | Admiral Admiral Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"... Dieter Wellershoff (1933–2005) |
Navy (Deutsche Marine) | Gerhard Stoltenberg Rupert Scholz Manfred Wörner |
 |
| 1991–1996 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Klaus Naumann Klaus Naumann Klaus Naumann is a retired German General, who served as Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr, the German armed fources, from 1991 to 1996, and as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1996 to 1999, succeeding the British general Richard Frederick Vincent, Baron Vincent of Coleshill... (*1939) |
Army (Heer) | Volker Rühe Gerhard Stoltenberg |
 |
| 1996–1999 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Hartmut Bagger Hartmut Bagger Hartmut Bagger is a retired German general. He served as Chief of Staff of the Army from 1994 to 1996 and Chief of Staff of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, from 1996 to 1999.- Biography :... (*1938) |
Army (Heer) | Rudolf Scharping Volker Rühe |
|
| 1999–2000 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Hans-Peter von Kirchbach (*1941) |
Army (Heer) | Rudolf Scharping | |
| 2000–2002 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Harald Kujat Harald Kujat Harald Kujat is a retired German general. He served as Chief of Staff of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, from 2000 to 2002, and as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 2002 to 2005.- Biography :... (*1942) |
Air Force (Luftwaffe) | Rudolf Scharping | |
| 2002–2009 | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Wolfgang Schneiderhan Wolfgang Schneiderhan (General) Wolfgang Schneiderhan is a German general who served as Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, from 2002 to 2009.-Military career:... (*1946) |
Army (Heer) | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg Franz Josef Jung Peter Struck Rudolf Scharping |
 |
| 2010– | General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Volker Wieker Volker Wieker Volker Wieker is the Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces. As the highest ranking officer of the Bundeswehr he is the government's chief military adviser and the general ultimately in charge of its operations... (*1954) |
Army (Heer) | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg Thomas de Maizière |
External links
- List of Chiefs of Staff, Bundeswehr with personal data and photo (Official website of the Bundeswehr)