The Armed Forces Staff, in the meaning of General staff, of the German Bundeswehr (; 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 a policy of personnel education and training.
In 2012, there existed supreme military command authorities in the MOD as follows: Armed Forces Staff (Führungsstab der Streitkräfte – Fü S; General Staff of the Armed Forces) Army Staff (Führungsstab des Heeres – Fü H; Army General Staff) Air Force Staff (Führungsstab der Luftwaffe – Fü L; Air Force General Staff) Navy Staff (Führungsstab der Marine – Fü M) Medical Staff (Führungsstab des Sanitätsdienstes – Fü San; Medical Service Staff)
Parts of these top-level staff authorities were merged in order to establish the new high command authorities of the German Bundeswehr as follow: Army Command (Kommando Heer – Kdo Heer) Air Force Command (Kommando Luftwaffe – Kdo Luftwaffe) Navy Command (Kommando Marine – Kdo Marine)
In line to the new Bundeswehr command structure, the remaining staff elements were used on the MOD level to form: a Planning Division an Armed Forces Command and Control Division and a Strategy and Operations Division.
History
After World War II 1945 and in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement the establishment of autonomous German armed forces, including headquarters 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 the MOD.
Mission
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.
Command
The Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (), 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.
June 1, 2003, the Armed Forces Staff and Joint Support Service Staff''' were combined into a common staff authority in the MOD.