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The Chief of Defence
The Chief of Defence is the administrative superior of all the soldiers in the armed forces under his command. As both the military advisor to the Federal Government and the senior military representative of the Bundeswehr, he is a member of the Ministry of Defence Executive Group.
Highest-ranking soldier
The Chief of Defence, Carsten Breuer, is responsible for the overall military defence concept, including planning and further development, for command and control in the armed forces and for the planning, preparation, conduct and assessment of Bundeswehr operations. The Directors-General for Planning, for Forces Policy and for Strategy and Operations report to him.
As the highest-ranking soldier, the Chief of Defence has full command of the armed forces. He is thus authorised to establish binding principles for all Bundeswehr soldiers, regardless of their responsibility for a specific service. The Vice Chief of Defence, who is also the Bundeswehr Commissioner for Reserve Affairs, assists the Chief of Defence in the discharge of his functions.
born in Letmathe on 01 December 1964, married
Military Career
period of time | event/activity |
|---|---|
since 17th March 2023 | Chief of Defence |
2022-2023 | Commander, Bundeswehr Homeland Defence Command, Berlin |
2022 | Head of Activation Staff, Bundeswehr Homeland Defence Command, Berlin |
2021-2022 | Head of COVID-19Coronavirus Disease 2019 Crisis Staff at the Federal Chancellery, Berlin |
2018-2021 | Commander, Bundeswehr Territorial Command, Berlin |
2016-2017 | Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations/Military Intelligence/Training Directorate at DEU A HQHeadquarter, Strausberg |
2015-2016 | Project Manager for the 2016 White Paper on German Security Policy and the Future of the Bundeswehr, Federal Ministry of Defence, Berlin |
2014 | Chief of Division I, Directorate-General for Security and Defence Policy, Federal Ministry of Defence, Berlin |
2013-2014 | Commander, 37 Armoured Infantry Brigade “Freistaat Sachsen“, Frankenberg/Saxony |
2012-2013 | Branch Chief, Military Policy Concepts and Bilateral Relations, subsequently Fundamentals of Security Policy and Bilateral Relations, Federal Ministry of Defence, Berlin |
2010-2011 | Branch Chief, Military-Strategic Fundamentals, Armed Forces Staff, Federal Ministry of Defence, Berlin |
2008-2010 | Deputy SACTREPEUR, Chief of Staff and Branch Chief, Capability Development/ Strategic Plans and Policy, NATO HQHeadquarter, Brussels, Belgium |
2006-2008 | Military Assistant to Chief of the Army, Federal Ministry of Defence, Bonn |
2004-2006 | Commander, 12 Armoured Air Defence Gun Battalion, Hardheim |
2002-2004 | Chief of Staff, 41 Armoured Infantry Brigade, Torgelow |
2001-2002 | US Command and General Staff Officers’ Course at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA |
1999-2001 | Staff Officer to Vice Chief of Defence, Ministry of Defence, Bonn |
1997-1999 | 40th General Staff Officer Course at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College, Hamburg |
1995-1997 | Special Branch Instructor, Army Air Defence, Armour School, Munster |
1992-1995 | Commander, 4th Battery, 6 Armoured Air Defence Gun Demonstration Battalion, Lütjenburg |
1989-1992 | Youth Officer and Military Assistant to Division Commander, 10th Armoured Division, Sigmaringen |
1985-1988 | Degree in Educational Theory, Bundeswehr University Hamburg |
1984-1985 | Officer training at the Army Air Defence School, Rendsburg |
1984 | Joined the Bundeswehr with Air Defence Regiment 11, Achim |