Armed Forces Staff (Germany)

Armed Forces Staff in MOD Gemeny
Führungsstab der Streitkräfte (Fü S) im BMVg
Formation sign of the Fü S
Active	November 1955–October 2012
Country	Germany
Allegiance	Bundeswehr
Type	Dept. of Inspector General of the Bundeswehr
Size	300
Location	Hardthöhe, Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia
Website	www.bmvg.de

The Armed Forces Staff, in the meaning of General staff, of the German Bundeswehr (German: Führungsstab der Streitkräfte - Fü S; literal: Command staff of the armed forces) was the central department of the Federal Ministry of Defence (MOD) in direct subordination to the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (en: Chief of Staff of the Federal Armed Forces) and one of the five staff headquarters in the military command of the German Bundeswehr.

The Armed Forces Staff was thus at the same time a supreme military command authority and the top level ministerial staff organisation, authorised, mandated and competent to overall military defence planning, basics and concepts of military policy, planning of operational command and control, as well as to plans an policy of personnel education and training.

In 2012, there existed in MOD Germany supreme military command authority as follows:

Parts of these top-level MOD staff authorities were merged in order to establish the new high command authorities of the German Bundeswehr as follow:

In line to the new Bundeswehr command structure, the remaining staff elements were used to form on MOD level:

After World War II 1945 and in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement the establishment of autonomous German armed forces, including head quarters on general staff level, were forbidden. However, in line to the re-armament from Mai 5, 1955, in the new established Bundeswehr the designation Generalstab (general staff) was not more used, thus there existed tasks and missions on general staff level. This was the reason to establish the Armed Forces Staff as top level command organization in MOD Germany.

The Armed Forces Staff received tasks and orders direct from the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr. In addition, it was within its responsibility to handle command and control specific affairs, related to the Armed forces basic. This characterised the Armed Forces Staff as supreme military command authority.

The Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (German: Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr, GenInspBw), a four-star rank (general or admiral), commanded the Armed Forces Staff. The Chief of Staff coordinated the staff work. According to the so-called Bundeswehr planning he was authorised to issue directives to the Inspectors General of the services Army, Air Force, and Navy, as well as to Inspector of the Joint Support Service Staff and Medical Service Staff.