Admiral, short Adm, is the most senior flag officer rank in the German Navy. It is equivalent to general in the German Army or German Air Force. In the Central Medical Services there is no equivalent. In the German Navy Admiral is, as in many navies, a four-star rank with a NATO code of OF-9. The most recent officer of the German Navy to hold the rank is Admiral Joachim Rühle, who serves as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium since 2020.
GDR-Admiral Wilhelm Ehm and Vizeadmiral Gustav Hesse (1979)
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and part of the unified Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the Bundesmarine from 1956 to 1995, when Deutsche Marine became the official name with respect to the 1990 incorporation of the East German Volksmarine. It is deeply integrated into the NATO alliance. Its primary mission is protection of Germany's territorial waters and maritime infrastructure as well as sea lines of communication. Apart from this, the German Navy participates in peacekeeping operations, and renders humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It also participates in anti-piracy operations.
A sailor of the West German Navy during the 1970s
A Baden-Württemberg-class frigate in Wilhelmshaven in April 2017
Westland WG-13 Super Lynx Mk88a of the German Navy
A German Navy boarding team member assigned to the frigate Augsburg (F213) provides security with a P8 pistol for the remainder of his team as they board a local cargo hold by fast rope to conduct a search of the vessel
