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| Inspector of the Air Force (Germany) | |
|---|---|
| Post | Inspector of the Air Force |
| Body | Bundeswehr |
| Native name | Inspekteur der Luftwaffe |
| Seat | Berlin |
| Formation | 1956 |
| First | Ulrich Kessler (general) |
Inspector of the Air Force (Germany) The Inspector of the Air Force is the highest-ranking officer of the Luftwaffe within the Bundeswehr and serves as the principal military adviser on air force matters to the Federal Minister of Defence and the Federal Chancellor. The office links operational readiness, procurement and doctrine between institutions such as Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, NATO, European Union defence bodies and industry partners including Airbus, Eurofighter GmbH and Lockheed Martin. The Inspector influences policy across formations like Tactical Air Force Command, Air Transport Wing 62, Tactical Air Force Wing 31 "Boelcke", and integrated commands such as Allied Air Command.
The Inspector provides strategic direction for personnel policy affecting units such as Luftwaffenausbildungsregiment, training schools like Officer Training School of the German Air Force, and bases at Ramstein Air Base, Wittmundhafen Air Base and Gütersloh Air Base, while coordinating procurement programs including Eurofighter Typhoon, Panavia Tornado, Transall C-160 replacement projects, and A400M Atlas integration. In matters of alliance interoperability the Inspector liaises with counterparts including the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, Chief of the Air Staff (Royal Air Force), Chef d'état-major de l'Armée de l'Air and multinational staffs at NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) and European Defence Agency. Responsibilities encompass operational readiness, force generation with formations such as Luftwaffenkommando, doctrine development influenced by lessons from deployments like Operation Allied Force, International Security Assistance Force, and Operation Inherent Resolve, and oversight of capabilities like Airborne Early Warning and Control, Close Air Support, Air-to-Air Refuelling and Search and Rescue assets.
The office traces to the reconstitution of German air power after World War II restrictions, formalised during the NATO accession of the Federal Republic of Germany and the establishment of the Bundeswehr in 1955. Early Inspectors navigated Cold War crises such as the Berlin Crisis of 1961 and doctrinal shifts following events including the Suez Crisis and the Yom Kippur War. Post-Cold War transformations were driven by operations in the Balkans, including Operation Deny Flight and Operation Allied Force, and later by expeditionary commitments to ISAF in Afghanistan and coalition efforts against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Procurement controversies involving programs like the Eurofighter Typhoon program and the Tornado modernisation shaped institutional reforms alongside structural changes to align with NATO Defence Planning Process and European initiatives such as pooling within European Air Group.
The Inspector heads the Luftwaffe staff within the Bundesministerium der Verteidigung framework and reports to the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr and ultimately advises the Federal Minister of Defence. The post interacts with commands and agencies including German Air Force Command (Luftwaffenkommando), BND for strategic assessments, Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support for procurement, and multinational centres like NATO Defence College and EU Military Staff. Coordination extends to industrial partners such as MTU Aero Engines, Rheinmetall, Thales Group, and international partners including United States European Command, French Air and Space Force, Royal Air Force, Italian Air Force, and Polish Air Force.
The Inspector is typically a four-star or three-star officer selected from senior Luftwaffe leadership, often with prior commands at units such as Tactical Air Force Wing 51 "Immelmann", Air Transport Wing 62, or staff roles at NATO SHAPE and the Bundeswehr Operations Command. Appointment is made by the Federal Minister of Defence with political oversight by the Bundestag through defence committees like the Verteidigungsausschuss (Bundestag). Tenure lengths have varied with defence policy cycles, coalition changes in the Federal Republic of Germany, and reforms driven by events such as the Kosovo War and the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021).
Insignia associated with the Inspector reflect Luftwaffe heraldry and Bundeswehr rank insignia traditions seen in badges like shoulder boards comparable to the Bundeswehr rank insignia, and symbols displayed on standards and staff vehicles akin to those used by senior NATO officers. Ceremonial elements draw on traditions linked to historic institutions such as the German Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) of World War I and iconography found in museums like the German Air Force Museum and memorials related to aviators such as Manfred von Richthofen.
Notable holders include early leaders such as Ulrich Kessler (general), Cold War-era figures who negotiated NATO integration, and contemporary officers who managed modernisation through procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon and A400M Atlas platforms. Inspectors have often previously served alongside figures from allied services like NATO Military Committee members, and have been contemporaries of defence ministers including Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Ursula von der Leyen, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, and Boris Pistorius.
Inspectors played key roles in Luftwaffe contributions to coalition operations including Operation Allied Force, Operation Unified Protector, Operation Active Endeavour, and Operation Counter Daesh, overseeing deployment of assets such as Eurofighter Typhoon, Panavia Tornado, A400M Atlas, and tanker fleets. Reforms under various Inspectors addressed force structure, readiness, and capability gaps revealed during operations in the Balkans, Iraq War, and War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), while procurement decisions engaged corporations like Airbus Defence and Space, Panavia Aircraft GmbH, Dassault Aviation, and Sikorsky Aircraft to modernise air mobility, surveillance, and strike capacities.