The Chief of Federal Armed Forces Staff or General Inspector of the Bundeswehr (German: Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr (GenInspBw)) is the highest-ranking military post in the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces. Normally in the rank of a (four-star) general or admiral, he heads the Führungsstab der Streitkräfte, the German General Staff, and is the direct military advisor to the Federal Minister of Defence and his ministry.
Following the resignation of General Wolfgang Schneiderhan in November 2009, the Vice Chief of Defence of the Bundeswehr, General Johann-Georg Dora supported some of the roles of the General Inspector, until General Volker Wieker succeeded as Chief of Staff on January 21, 2010.
| Timeframe | Name | Branch | Minister | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957–1961 | General Adolf Heusinger (1897–1982) | Army (Heer) | Franz Josef Strauß | |
| 1961–1963 | General Friedrich Foertsch (1900–1976) | Army (Heer) | Franz Josef Strauß Kai-Uwe von Hassel |
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| 1964–1966 | General Heinz Trettner (1907–2006) | Army (Heer) | Kai-Uwe von Hassel | |
| 1966–1972 | General Ulrich de Maizière (1912–2006) | Army (Heer) | Kai-Uwe von Hassel Helmut Schmidt Gerhard Schröder |
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| 1972–1976 | Admiral Armin Zimmermann (1917–1976) | Navy (Deutsche Marine) | Georg Leber | |
| 1976–1978 | General Harald Wust (* 1921-2010) | Air Force (Luftwaffe) | Georg Leber | |
| 1978–1983 | General Jürgen Brandt (1922–2003) | Army (Heer) | Manfred Wörner Hans Apel |
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| 1983–1986 | General Wolfgang Altenburg (*1928) | Army (Heer) | Manfred Wörner | |
| 1986–1991 | Admiral Dieter Wellershoff (1933–2005) | Navy (Deutsche Marine) | Gerhard Stoltenberg Rupert Scholz Manfred Wörner |
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| 1991–1996 | General Klaus Naumann (*1939) | Army (Heer) | Volker Rühe Gerhard Stoltenberg |
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| 1996–1999 | General Hartmut Bagger (*1938) | Army (Heer) | Rudolf Scharping Volker Rühe |
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| 1999–2000 | General Hans-Peter von Kirchbach (*1941) | Army (Heer) | Rudolf Scharping | |
| 2000–2002 | General Harald Kujat (*1942) | Air Force (Luftwaffe) | Rudolf Scharping | |
| 2002–2009 | General Wolfgang Schneiderhan (*1946) | Army (Heer) | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg Franz Josef Jung Peter Struck Rudolf Scharping |
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| 2010– | General Volker Wieker (*1954) | Army (Heer) | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg Thomas de Maizière |
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