The Inspector of the Air Force (german: Inspekteur der Luftwaffe) is the commander of the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

of the modern-day German Armed Forces, the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

. The Inspector is responsible for the readiness of personnel and materiel in the German Air Force, in that function reports directly to the Federal Minister of Defence. The current Inspector is

Ingo Gerhartz Ingo Gerhartz (born 9 December 1965) is a German Air Force ''generalleutnant'' (the equivalent of lieutenant general in other countries). He has been serving as the Inspector of the Air Force . Gerhartz travelled to Australia for the start of ...

, appointed on 29 May 2018. The Inspector of the Air Force is the chief of the Air Force Command, based in

Gatow Gatow (), a district of south-western Berlin is located west of the ''Havelsee'' lake and has forested areas within its boundaries. It is within the borough of Spandau. On 31 December 2002, it had 5,532 inhabitants. History Gatow's existence was ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. They sit under the

General Inspector of the Bundeswehr A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

and are a member of the Defence Council for Bundeswehr-wide matters. Both the Inspector and their deputy hold the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

(german: Generalleutnant) while in office, although the first Inspector,

Josef Kammhuber Josef Kammhuber (August 19, 1896 – January 25, 1986) was a career officer in the Luftwaffe and post-World War II German Air Force. During World War II, he was the first general of night fighters in the Luftwaffe. Kammhuber created the night ...

, was an exception, holding the rank of full general as a reward for his efforts to build up a new German Luftwaffe.

List of Inspectors of the Air Force

References

External links

*
Inspekteure der Luftwaffe
(Bundesarchiv) Bundeswehr German Air Force Air force commands of Germany

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

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