Egon Ramms (born September 21, 1948 in Datteln,

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

) is a retired German general who held numerous international commands. Ramms is a father of two. His last assignment was commander of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

's Joint Force Command in Brunssum,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. As such, he oversaw all allied operations in Central/ Northern Europe and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Ramms joined the German Army in 1968, eventually becoming an officer candidate. From 1971 to 1975, he studied

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

at the Fachschule des Heeres Darmstadt and specialized in

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...

engineering. Afterwards he held numerous commands in

maintenance Maintenance may refer to: Biological science * Maintenance of an organism * Maintenance respiration Non-technical maintenance * Alimony, also called ''maintenance'' in British English * Champerty and maintenance, two related legal doct ...

units and became the G4 officer (logistics) of the German Army's 3rd

Armoured Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

Division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

. Subsequently he attended the German general staff officer course in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. In 1982, he was made G3 officer (operations) of the 6th

Mechanized Infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is di ...

Division. Later on, he served as the G3 officer and chief of staff of the

Home Defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

51. An assignment to the German military's office for arms control and disarmament followed. Ramms was made

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

commander of Maintenance Battalion 120 in 1988 and returned to the Ministry of Defence in 1990. For the next six years, he was assigned to numerous posts responsible for procurement and logistics. Promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, he took command over Logistics Brigade 1 until 1998 when he was made Assistant Chief of Staff, Armed Forces Staff V (Logistics, Infrastructure and Environmental Protection). From 2000 to 2004, Ramms was the head of the German Armed Forces Staff at the headquarters in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

. He assumed command over the Szczecin-based Multinational Corps Northeast in 2004, a post he held for the next two years. In 2007, Ramms was made commanding general, Joint Force Command Brunssum. He was one of only three German four-star-generals. In September 2010, on the day of his retirement, he was awarded the Ghazi Mir Bacha Khan medal from President Karzai of Afghanistan.

Awards and decorations

* German Cross of Merit, 1st Class * Gold Cross of Honour * Silver Cross of Honour * Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, 3rd ClassMonitor Polski 2007 nr 36 poz. 416
(point 4.) *Ghazi Mir Bacha Khan medal (Afghanistan)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramms, Egon 1948 births Living people People from Datteln Technische Universität Darmstadt alumni Generals of the German Army German military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class I Recipients of the Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland