Joint Support Service (Germany)

Feldjäger MP patrol vehicle

The Joint Support Service (German: Streitkräftebasis, 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 the fifth component of the Bundeswehr, the other four being the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Joint Medical Service. As of November 2016, the force is composed of around 41,000 personnel.

Organisation

Unlike the similar British Defence Logistics Organisation and the Australian Department of Defence's Support Command Australia, Germany's current military environment has led to a number of combat-associated commands being allotted to it, principally the residual German territorial defence structure embodied in the four Wehrbereichskommandos (Military District Commands), and the national supervision of German military operations 'out of area', performed by the Einsatzführungskommando (Bundeswehr Operations Command), which is headquartered in Potsdam.

The WBK headquarters are in:

• Kiel WBK I
• Mainz WBK II
• Erfurt WBK III
• Munich WBK IV

Each Military District Command controls 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 command authorities are in charge of all military facilities in their area of responsibility and of several supporting regiments. The SKB was formed on the basis of the former IV (GE) Korps. 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 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 Military Counterintelligence Service (Militärischer Abschirmdienst), and the Bundeswehr's higher academies and universities.

Structure

• Vice Chief of Staff, Bundeswehr and Chief of Staff of the Joint Support Service
• Joint Support Service Command^[2]
  • Bundeswehr Military Intelligence Centre
  • Bundeswehr Counter-Intelligence Office
  • Federal College for Security Studies
  • Office for Military Studies
  • German Military Representative to NATO & EU
  • German element, CIMIC Centre of Excellence
  • Psychological Operations Centre (Zentrum Operative Information - ZOpInfo)
    • Psychological Operations Battalion 950

Logistic Command

• Bundeswehr Logistic Command
  • Bundeswehr Logistic School
  • Bundeswehr Logistic Center
  • 161st Logistic Battalion in Delmenhorst
  • 171st Logistic Battalion in Burg bei Magdeburg
  • 172nd Logistic Battalion in Beelitz
  • 461st Logistic Battalion in Walldürn
  • 467th Logistic Battalion in Volkach
  • 472nd Logistic Battalion in Kümmersbruck
  • 164th Special Engineer Battalion in Husum

Command Support Command

• Bundeswehr Command Support Command (Military IT & Signals)
  • Bundeswehr IT Operations Center
  • Bundeswehr Command Support School
  • 281st Command Support Battalion
  • 282nd Command Support Battalion
  • 292nd Command Support Battalion
  • 293rd Command Support Battalion
  • 381st Command Support Battalion
  • 383rd Command Support Battalion
  • 1st NATO Signal Bataillon (German participation)

Strategic Reconnaissance Command

• Strategic Reconnaissance Command
  • 911th Electronic Warfare Battalion
  • 912th Electronic Warfare Battalion, mans the Oste-class SIGINT/ELINT and reconnaissance ships
  • 932st Electronic Warfare Battalion
  • 932nd Electronic Warfare Battalion, provides airborne troops for operations in enemy territory
  • Bundeswehr Strategic Reconnaissance School
  • Bundeswehr Geographical Information Office

Territorial Tasks Command

• Bundeswehr Territorial Tasks Command
  • Guard Battalion in Berlin
  • Bundeswehr Military Police Command
    • 1st Military Police Regiment in Berlin
    • 2nd Military Police Regiment in Hilden
    • 3rd Military Police Regiment in Munich
    • Bundeswehr Military Police School
  • Bundeswehr CBRN-defense Command in Bruchsal
    • 750th CBRN-defense Battalion in Bruchsal
    • 7th CBRN-defense Battalion in Höxter
    • CBRN-defense School in Sonthofen
  • Baden-Württemberg State Command
  • Bayern State Command
  • Brandenburg State Command
  • Bremen State Command
  • Hamburg State Command
  • Hessen State Command
  • Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Command
  • Niedersachsen State Command
  • Nordrhein-Westfalen State Command
  • Rheinland-Pfalz State Command
  • Saarland State Command
  • Sachsen State Command
  • Sachsen-Anhalt State Command
  • Schleswig-Holstein State Command
  • Thüringen State Command
  • All Bundeswehr Training Areas

Armed Forces Office

• Bundeswehr Verification Centre
• Bundeswehr Academy for Information and Communication
• Bw Integrated Competence & Training Centre SASPF
• Military Attache Offices
• Bundeswehr School of Dog Handling
• GE Elm² NATO Command Structure / National Support Elements
• Bundeswehr Military Music Centre
• Bilateral / multilateral Relations
• Bundeswehr Sports School
  • Two Sports Promotion Sections
• SGO¹ / GE Elm² George C. Marshall Centre

References

Notes

External links

• www.streitkraeftebasis.de (engl.)

Military of Germany (Bundeswehr)
Army  Navy  Air Force
Joint Medical Service        Joint Support Service

Bundeswehr Teilstreitkräfte or TSK (Branches) Heer Luftwaffe Marine Organisationsbereiche (Organisational areas) Sanitätsdienst Streitkräftebasis