The Inspector of the Navy (German: Inspekteur der Marine) is the commander of the Navy of the modern-day German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr. Since the various bodies responsible for the high command of the German Navy were merged in 2012, the Inspector has been based at the Navy Command at Rostock.[1] Before then, the Inspector was head of the Naval Staff of the Ministry of Defence, based in Bonn. Both the Inspector and his deputy hold the rank of vice admiral (German: Vizeadmiral).[2]
The Inspector is responsible for the readiness of personnel and materiel in the German Navy, in that regard he reports directly to the Federal Minister of Defence. The Inspector commands the Navy Command; however, the subordinate departments of the Navy are led by their heads at Navy Command and do not report directly to the Inspector. The Inspector sits under the General Inspector of the Bundeswehr and is a member of the Defence Council for Bundeswehr-wide matters.[1]
| No. | Portrait | Inspector of the Navy | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vizeadmiral Friedrich Ruge (1894–1985) | June 1956 | August 1961 | 5 years, 2 months | - | |
| 2 | Vizeadmiral Karl-Adolf Zenker (1907–1998) | August 1961 | 30 September 1967 | 6 years, 1 month | - | |
| 3 | Vizeadmiral Gert Jeschonnek (1912–1999) | 1 October 1967 | 30 September 1971 | 3 years, 11 months | - | |
| 4 | Vizeadmiral Heinz Kühnle (1915–2001) | 1 October 1971 | 31 March 1975 | 3 years, 5 months | - | |
| 5 | Vizeadmiral Günter Luther (1922–1997) | 1 April 1975 | 31 March 1980 | 4 years, 11 months | - | |
| 6 | Vizeadmiral Ansgar Bethge (1924–2008) | 1 April 1980 | 31 March 1985 | 4 years, 11 months | - | |
| 7 | Vizeadmiral Dieter Wellershoff (1933–2005) | 1 April 1985 | September 1986 | 1 year, 5 months | - | |
| 8 | Vizeadmiral Hans-Joachim Mann (born 1935) | 1 October 1986 | 30 September 1991 | 4 years, 11 months | - | |
| 9 | Vizeadmiral Hein-Peter Weyher (born 1935) | 1 October 1991 | April 1995 | 3 years, 6 months | - | |
| 10 | Vizeadmiral Hans-Rudolf Boehmer (born 1938) | April 1995 | September 1998 | 3 years, 5 months | - | |
| 11 | Vizeadmiral Hans Lüssow (born 1942) | 1 October 1998 | February 2003 | 4 years, 4 months | - | |
| 12 | Vizeadmiral Lutz Feldt (born 1942) | 1 March 2003 | April 2006 | 3 years, 1 month | - | |
| 13 | Vizeadmiral Wolfgang E. Nolting (born 1948) | April 2006 | 28 April 2010 | 4 years | - | |
| 14 | Vizeadmiral Axel Schimpf (born 1952) | 28 April 2010 | 28 October 2014 | 4 years, 6 months | - | |
| 15 | Vizeadmiral Andreas Krause (born 1956) | 28 October 2014 | 24 March 2021 | 6 years, 4 months | - | |
| 16 | Vizeadmiral Kay-Achim Schönbach (born 1965) | 24 March 2021 | 22 January 2022 | 9 months | - | |
| 17 | Vizeadmiral Jan Christian Kaack (born 1962) | 22 January 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 2 months | - |
See also
- Inspector of the Army
- Oberkommando der Marine
- Marineamt
- First Sea Lord
- List of admirals of the German Navy
References
- ^ a b Schimpf, Axel (2013). "Das Marinekommando in Rostock - Die Marine auf Zukunftskurs". Marineforum (in German) (1/2): 22ff.
- ^ Informationen zur Neuausrichtung der Bundeswehr auf der Bundeswehr-Homepage
External links
- (in German) Inspekteure der Marine (Bundesarchiv)
- (in German) Inspekteure der Marine (German Navy official website)
