Zeitenwende cornerstone: command from a single source

The Bundeswehr Joint Force Command was formally activated on 9 April 2025 with an official ceremony at Julius Leber Barracks in Berlin. It was established as part of the Bundeswehr’s reform following the Osnabrück Directive and merges command responsibility across the Bundeswehr’s entire task spectrum into one single command.

The official activation started with the ceremonial arrival of the guard of honour, consisting of soldiers of the Bundeswehr Ceremonial Band, the Federal Ministry of Defence Guard Battalion and the colour guards of the relevant agencies, and with the new command flag of the Bundeswehr Joint Force Command still cased, to the tune of “Prussia’s Glory”. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and the guest of honour, Bundesrat President and Minister-President of the Saarland Anke Rehlinger, then joined the Chief of Defence, General Carsten Breuer, in inspecting the troops.

In his speech to the invited guests and the troops, Pistorius stressed the need to strengthen national and collective defence in view of the security situation: “We must set the right course for the protection and security of our country”, he said, adding that the Osnabrück Directive had laid the foundation for a Bundeswehr that meets the requirements of the Zeitenwende. He went on to say that the establishment of the Bundeswehr Joint Force Command therefore was more than the combination of two commands. The new command meant a clear allocation of roles in the event of an Article 5 contingency or state of defence, as well as a unified operational level of command: “We are becoming more effective. We are becoming more agile. Command will be from a single source, allowing us to better prioritise and coordinate”, Pistorius said. The Bundeswehr Joint Force Command is now responsible for national and joint planning, conduct and evaluation of operations across the Bundeswehr’s entire task spectrum.

Two farewells to start with

General Breuer began by deactivating the two preceding commands: The Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command, which had exercised command and control over operations abroad in international conflict and crisis management, and the Bundeswehr Homeland Defence Command, which had been responsible for all the Bundeswehr’s tasks at home and for national territorial defence. The Chief of Defence relieved Lieutenant General André Bodemann of his duties as Commander of the Bundeswehr Homeland Defence Command as well as Rear Admiral Jörg Klein, in his capacity as deputy, of the duties of the Commander of the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command. This was followed by a casing of the flag ceremony to symbolise the deactivation of the commands.

General Breuer paid tribute to both commands in his farewell speech. Referring to the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command, he said: “The Balkans, Afghanistan, Africa, the Mediterranean – Schwielowsee is where everything came together for all of our 50 missions abroad, from setting up camp to redeployment, from start to finish – including when things became a matter of life or death.” He stressed that it was evident in the Joint Forces Operations Command more than in any other command that the military profession can involve significant danger – something that can be seen to this day in the Forest of Remembrance, which honours those who lost their lives in the line of duty.

General Breuer said he felt a personal connection to the Bundeswehr Homeland Defence Command. Created from the Bundeswehr Territorial Command and established within only six months in September 2022, it managed a broad range of different tasks: host nation support, support for Ukraine, the establishment and build-up of homeland defence, and the Operational Plan for Germany. “The Homeland Defence Command came of age very quickly”, said Breuer. “It is an important launch pad for the future positioning of the armed forces, at a time when both our territorial tasks as well as the territorial threats are increasing.”

New command, new command flag, new streamer

With the uncasing of the new command flag, General Breuer then initiated the official activation of the new command. He formally transferred command authority of the Bundeswehr Joint Force Command to Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank. At the same time, the 16 regional territorial commands, each represented by a colour guard, were placed under the command of the Bundeswehr Joint Force Command. They had previously been assigned to the Bundeswehr Homeland Defence Command. 

Bundesrat President Anke Rehlinger and Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius presented the streamer. After the colour guard rejoined the formation, the Bundeswehr Ceremonial Band began playing the national anthem. The activation ceremony concluded with the marching-out of the guard of honour and dismissal by Defence Minister Pistorius.