Bundeswehr Joint Force Command

The Bundeswehr Joint Force Command (BwJFCBundeswehr Joint Force Command) is responsible for the Bundeswehr’s national and joint planning, conduct and evaluation of operations. It is a central point of contact for civil authorities at the federal and state levels, and a single point of contact for the armed forces of friendly nations as well as multinational partners and actors.

Established in October 2024 as part of the structural reform following the Osnabrück Directive, the Bundeswehr Joint Force Command reflects the Bundeswehr’s consistent orientation towards national and collective defence. The focus is on credible deterrence and effective defence through a unified operational level of command. The BwJFCBundeswehr Joint Force Command is designed to be able to take action and exercise command and control in all scenarios and at all escalation levels – including hybrid threat situations, in national and collective defence, and in international crisis management.

The Bundeswehr Joint Force Command is a single command bringing together tasks in the areas of national and collective defence, international crisis management and the Bundeswehr’s assistance, in accordance with Article 35 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (administrative assistance), at the operational level. It

• Prioritises tasks, forces and capabilities for the entire Bundeswehr, ensuring that the Bundeswehr can accomplish its missions both in a national and multinational context
• Exercises command and control – below the Federal Ministry of Defence – over the mission-specific commands to be formed for the individual armed services: the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Cyber and Information Domain Service
• Acts as the command responsible for initial deployment to coordinate transport and supply processes for German troops on deployments to exercises and to fulfil Germany’s commitments as a member of NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization and the EUEuropean Union
• Ensures Germany’s function as a hub for NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization’s collective defence and, in this context, specifically coordinates support for Allied forces staying in or moving through Germany (host nation support)
• Coordinates all multinational joint/combined exercises at the national level (exercise coordination command)
• Conducts multi-domain operations against enemy attacks, which extend not only to the traditional military domains of land, the maritime environment and air, but also to cyber and information space, outer space and the civil sector
• Plans deployment of the Bundeswehr Special Operations Forces and exercises command and control over them through the Director of the Bundeswehr Special Operations Forces and the special operations forces headquarters subordinate to the Director
• Coordinates all national and international measures and activities regarding the standing operational task of national risk and crisis management, and exercises command and control over the forces employed
• Coordinates and exercises command and control over administrative assistance and disaster relief within the constitutional framework
• Prepares a joint situation picture for the Federal Ministry of Defence
• Analyses and assesses third-party military conflicts and security strategies
• Develops Germany’s contributions to NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization defence planning and deterrence as well as contributions to plans by the European Union, the United Nations and allied countries

With the regional territorial commands serving as liaison elements in the federal states, the BwJFCBundeswehr Joint Force Command is compatible with authorities and organisations throughout Germany. The Counter-IEDImprovised Explosive Device/Counter-UxS Centre is also subordinate to the Bundeswehr Joint Force Command. It specialises in analysing and countering improvised explosive and incendiary devices and unmanned systems across the Bundeswehr’s entire spectrum of operations.

The Bundeswehr Joint Force Command is based in Berlin and Schwielowsee. With the sixteen regional territorial commands, it is present in all federal states. The Counter-IEDImprovised Explosive Device/Counter-UxS Centre is also an agency subordinate to the command.