The Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command
First paragraph of the articleThe Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command
Germany is contributing to global security and stability through the Bundeswehr's participation in operations abroad. The Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command in Geltow near Potsdam plays a pivotal part in this. Representing the operational level of command, it is responsible for the planning and conduct of all Bundeswehr operations abroad and also ensures that they are all conducted in compliance with the respective parliamentary mandates and German legislation. The Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command was established in July 2001 and is organised along the lines of multinational headquarters. The command, at which approximately 800 military and civilian personnel serve, has been under the command of Lieutenant General Erich Pfeffer since November 2015.
The Bundeswehr Command and Staff College
The Bundeswehr Command and Staff College in Hamburg is the Bundeswehr's highest-level training and education institution. Since 1957, it has been dedicated to preparing top-level military personnel for their assignments in the armed forces or with NATO, the European Union and the United Nations. The basic and advanced training courses and seminars offered are also open to officers from 50 or so partner nations. Each year, the college provides over 30 courses and seminars for more than 2,000 officers. The college has four training departments supported by around 120 permanent and more than 500 guest lecturers. Rear Admiral Carsten Stawitzki was appointed as commandant of the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College in September 2016.
The Bundeswehr Aviation Office
The Bundeswehr Aviation Office has its main office in Cologne and a branch office in Manching. As the national military aviation authority, it is responsible for monitoring military flight operations in German airspace. It operates closely with civilian authorities, issues regulations concerning military aviation safety and is responsible for the examination and certification of military aircraft. The Bundeswehr Aviation Office was established in January 2015 in order to enable existing competencies to be pooled and a single point of contact to be established. With its approximately 400 military and civilian personnel, it has so far been headed by Major General Ansgar Rieks.
The Military Counterintelligence Service
The Military Counterintelligence Service is the Federal Government's third intelligence service, besides the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Federal Intelligence Service. It has its head office, with 5 divisions, in Cologne and eight branch offices across Germany. The Bundeswehr Counterintelligence Service performs the functions of a constitution protection authority in the remit of the Federal Ministry of Defence. It collects and evaluates information on anti-constitutional, espionage and sabotage activities within the Bundeswehr. It also assesses threats to Bundeswehr facilities in Germany and abroad and vets both applicants for posts in the Bundeswehr as well as current Bundeswehr personnel. With approximately 1,200 military and civilian personnel, the Bundeswehr Counterintelligence Service has been headed by Christof Gramm since January 2015.
The Bundeswehr Office for Defence Planning
The Bundeswehr Office for Defence Planning has its head office in Berlin, a branch office in Taufkirchen and a liaison office in Suffolk/USA. It is responsible for preparing policy documents for the future orientation and further development of the Bundeswehr. Its analyses of the Bundeswehr’s capabilities and of potentials for cooperation with international partners provide the Directorate-General for Planning at the Federal Ministry of Defence valuable input, particularly with respect to financial and resource planning. The Bundeswehr Office for Defence Planning was established in October 2012 and is organised into four directorates. Major General Wolfgang Gäbelein has been its commander since July 2019.
The Leadership Development and Civic Education Centre
The Leadership Development and Civic Education Centre is the central Bundeswehr institution for further developing and conveying the concept of Leadership Development and Civic Education (Innere Führung). It helps to give the armed forces and society a more concrete experience of the "citizen in uniform" concept. Established in October 1956, the centre is based in Koblenz and has a branch in Strausberg. More than 12,000 students attend courses and seminars at the centre each year. With its approximately 170 military and civilian personnel, the centre has been under the command of Major General Reinhardt Zudrop since June 2016. The Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences and the Bundeswehr Museum of Military History were placed under the command of the Leadership Development and Civic Education Centre in 2014.
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