Joint Support Service (Germany)

Joint Support Service (Germany)
The Joint Support 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 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), the national supervision of active German military operations beyond the NATO area, performed by the Joint Operations Command (the Einsatzführungskommando), 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 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 Joint Operations Command (German: Einsatzführungskommando) was resubordinated directly to the Inspector of the Bundeswehr.
In September 2022 annother reorganisation created the Territorial Operations Command (German: Territoriales Führungskommando) from parts of the Joint Support 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
164th Special Pioneer Regiment, in Husum
1st Logistics Regiment, in Burg bei Magdeburg
161st Logistics Battalion, in Delmenhorst
163rd Logistics Battalion, in Delmenhorst
171st Logistics Battalion, in Burg bei Magdeburg
172nd Logistics Battalion, in Beelitz
461st Logistics Battalion, in Walldürn
467th Logistics Battalion, in Volkach
472nd Logistics Battalion, in Kümmersbruck
Logistics Centre of the Bundeswehr, in Wilhelmshaven
Motor Vehicles Centre of the Bundeswehr, in Mönchengladbach
Logistics School of the Bundeswehr, in Osterholz-Scharmbeck
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
7th CBRN-defense Battalion, in Höxter
750th CBRN-defense Battalion, 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.)
Branches of the Bundeswehr
Military units and formations established in 2000