Streitkräftebasis

The Joint Support and Enabling Service (, , ''abbreviated:'' SKB, ; literally Armed Forces Foundation) is a branch of the German ''Bundeswehr'' established in October 2000 as a result of major reforms of the ''Bundeswehr''. It handles various logistic and organisational tasks of the ''Bundeswehr''. The SKB is one of six components of the ''Bundeswehr'', the other five being the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Joint Medical Service, and the Cyber and Information Domain Service. As of April 2020, the force is composed of 27,840 personnel. In May 2021 the minister of defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer together with inspector general Eberhard Zorn published a plan to dissolve the Joint Support and Enabling Service and to reintegrate its units into the army, navy, airforce and cyber command.

Structure

Unlike the similar British Defence Logistics Organisation and the Australian Department of Defence's Support Command Australia, a number of combat-associated commands were allotted to the SKB, principally the small German territorial defence structure embodied in the four ''Wehrbereichskommandos'' (Military District Commands), and the national supervision of active German military operations beyond the NATO area, performed by the Armed Forces Operations Command (the Einsatzführungskommando der Bundeswehr), which is headquartered in Potsdam.

The WBK headquarters were in Kiel (WBK I); Mainz (WBK II); Erfurt (WBK III); and Munich (WBK IV). Each Military District Command controlled several '' Landeskommandos'' (State Commands) due to the federal structure of Germany. Previously this function was carried out by the ''Verteidigungsbezirkskommandos'' (VBKs) or Military Region Commands (Defence District Commands). These commands were in charge of all military facilities in their area of responsibility and of several supporting regiments. The SKB headquarters was formed on the basis of the former IV (German) Corps headquarters. Most of its remaining elements have been reassigned from the Central Military Agencies of the ''Bundeswehr,'' encompassing a wide range of logistics agencies, schools, and other support units.

The top command authorities are the ''Kommando Streitkräftebasis'' ( Joint Support and Enabling Service Command) which is in charge of numerous of command and control roles. The ''Streitkräfteamt'' ( Armed Forces Office) directs all schools, training and research centres, the ''Militärischer Abschirmdienst'' (Military Counterintelligence Service), and the ''Bundeswehr'''s higher academies and universities.

In April 2012 as part of the major reorganisation that ended conscription, the Armed Forces Operations Command () was resubordinated directly to the Inspector of the Bundeswehr.

In September 2022 another reorganisation created the Territorial Operations Command () from parts of the JJoint Support and Enabling Service, which also was subordinated directly to the Inspector of the Bundeswehr.

* Joint Support and Enabling Service Headquarters, in Bonn
** Military Studies Office, in Munich
** Federal Security Policy Academy, in Berlin
** German Military Representative at NATO & EU, in Brussels

Logistic Command

* ''Bundeswehr'' Logistic Command, in Erfurt
** 1st Logistic Regiment, in Burg bei Magdeburg
*** 161st Logistic Battalion, in Delmenhorst
*** 163rd Logistic Battalion, in Delmenhorst
*** 171st Logistic Battalion, in Burg bei Magdeburg
*** 172nd Logistic Battalion, in Beelitz
** 4th Logistic Regiment, in Volkach (activated 12 October 2023)
*** 461st Logistic Battalion, in Walldürn
*** 467th Logistic Battalion, in Volkach
*** 471st Logistic Battalion, in Osterheide (will go active 1 October 2024)
*** 472nd Logistic Battalion, in Kümmersbruck
** 164th Special Pioneer Regiment, in Husum
** Bundeswehr Logistic School, in Osterholz-Scharmbeck
** Bundeswehr Logistic Center, in Wilhelmshaven
** Bundeswehr Motor Vehicles Center, in Mönchengladbach

Military Police Command

* ''Bundeswehr'' Military Police Command, in Hanover
** Military Police and Staff Service School, in Hanover
** 1st Military Police Regiment, in Berlin
** 2nd Military Police Regiment, in Hilden
** 3rd Military Police Regiment, in Munich

CBRN-defense Command

* ''Bundeswehr'' CBRN-defense Command, in Bruchsal
** CBRN-defense and Legal Protection Tasks School, in Sonthofen
** 1st CBRN-defense Regiment, in Strausberg
** 7th CBRN-defense Battalion, in Höxter
** 750th CBRN-defense Battalion "Baden", in Bruchsal

Armed Forces Office

* Armed Forces Office, in Bonn
**''Bundeswehr'' Verification Tasks Centre, in Geilenkirchen
**''Bundeswehr'' Service Dog School, in Ulmen
**''Bundeswehr'' Public Relations Centre, in Strausberg
** ''Bundeswehr'' Military Music Centre, in Bonn
**''Bundeswehr'' Sport School, in Warendorf

References

External links

www.streitkraeftebasis.de (engl.)

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017

2000 establishments in Germany
Branches of the Bundeswehr
Military units and formations established in 2000