The Prussian German General Staff System and Its Impact on the General and Admiral Staff Officers of the Federal Armed Forces of Today

Abstract

Abstract : Only 3.8 percent of the officers of the Federal Armed Forces are General and Admiral Staff officers. After a demanding selection process, most attend the Federal Armed Forces Command and General Staff Academy (Fuehrungsakademieder Bundeswehr) in Hamburg a two-year General and Admiral Staff course. They are entitled to add in the General Staff Service ( im Generalstabsdienst ) to their military rank and hold the key staff and most of the command positions in the Bundeswehr. It is possible that officers without General Staff officer training obtain temporary assignments to such positions. The distinctive characteristic of the Bundeswehr General and Admiral Staff officer, which distinguishes him from his colleagues of all other armed forces, is his dual responsibility. As in other armies, the German General and Admiral Staff officer relieves his commander from the technical details of Staff work; but in the German system, in addition, his main task is to advise his commander in all matters and the commander is obliged to hear his opinion. The General and Admiral Staff officer then bears the shared responsibility for the relevance of his advice.