The following lists German active and reserve units within the structure of the German Army. Reserve units do not possess any heavy equipment and their personnel is intended as replacements for losses sustained by regular units.
The German Army is commanded by the Inspector of the Army (Inspekteur des Heeres) based at the Army Command (Kommando Heer) in Strausberg near Berlin. The training centers are supervised by the Army Training Command in Leipzig.
The Army's combat formations comprise two Panzer (armoured) divisions and the lighter Rapid Forces Division. There are five heavy brigades and half a light infantry brigade in the two panzer divisions. Battalions and regiments are directly subordinate to brigades or to divisions as divisional troops. Regiments are rare. German infantry battalions field 1,000 men, considerably larger than most NATO armies.
The list describes the current structure of the army, which replaced the previous structure NEW HEER. Under the heading of “transformation”, the structure of the army is subject to constant change in small steps. With this current structure, the HEER 2011 structure was achieved. The first fundamental step was the establishment of the Army Command with the simultaneous elimination of the Army Command and the Army Command Staff on October 1, 2012. At this point in time (October 2012), the Army comprised around 68,000 active soldiers. The HEER 2011 structure was largely achieved at unit level at the end of 2015. At the same time, the first changes occurred compared to the originally intended ARMY 2011 structure. For example, the non-actively planned 414 tank battalion was transformed into a German-Dutch active tank battalion and subordinated to the Dutch 43 Mechanised Brigade.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine from February 2022, NATO began expanding its forces in the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In November 2023 a press release from the German Ministry of Defence specified that a new armoured brigade, , would be established in Lithuania. It will comprise Panzer Battalion 203 from Augustdorf, and Panzergrenadier Battalion 122. Initial command elements will start moving in the second quarter of 2024, and a staff to establish the brigade in the fourth quarter of 2024. [1] The overall NATO headquarters supervising this area is Multinational Corps North East.
The German Army uses the term " Jäger" to describe its light infantry units and formations. Mountain infantry is designated as Gebirgsjäger, while Paratroopers are designated as Fallschirmjäger. Armoured units equipped with main battle tanks are designated as Panzer formations, while mechanized infantry units equipped with tracked infantry fighting vehicles are designated as Panzergrenadier formations.
Note: The 1st Panzer Division also has the Royal Netherlands Army's 43rd Mechanized Brigade under its command.
Note: The 10th Panzer Division also has the Royal Netherlands Army's 13th Light Brigade under its command.
The division also has administrative control of the German units in the Franco-German Brigade:
Note: The Rapid Forces Division also has the Royal Netherlands Army's 11th Airmobile Brigade under its command.
As part of the Multinational Corps Northeast:
As part of the Royal Netherlands Army's 43rd Mechanized Brigade:
Signals, Psychological Operations, Strategic Reconnaissance (incl. SIGINT), Geographic Information (incl. military satellites), and Electronic Warfare units of the German Armed Forces fall under the Cyber and Information Domain Command (Kommando Cyber- und Informationsraum) of the Bundeswehr. Therefore, the German Army does not have its own units of such type, but is supported by the units of the Cyber and Information Space Command as needed.
Logistics, CBRN defense and Military Police units of the German Armed Forces fall under the Joint Support Service (Streitkräftebasis) of the Bundeswehr. Therefore, the German Army does not have its own units of such type, but is supported by the units of the Joint Support Service as needed.
All medical units of the German Armed Forces fall under the Joint Medical Service of the Bundeswehr (Zentraler Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr). Therefore, the German Army does not have its own medical units, but is supported by the units of the Joint Medical Service as needed.
The following lists German active and reserve units within the structure of the German Army. Reserve units do not possess any heavy equipment and their personnel is intended as replacements for losses sustained by regular units.
The German Army is commanded by the Inspector of the Army (Inspekteur des Heeres) based at the Army Command (Kommando Heer) in Strausberg near Berlin. The training centers are supervised by the Army Training Command in Leipzig.
The Army's combat formations comprise two Panzer (armoured) divisions and the lighter Rapid Forces Division. There are five heavy brigades and half a light infantry brigade in the two panzer divisions. Battalions and regiments are directly subordinate to brigades or to divisions as divisional troops. Regiments are rare. German infantry battalions field 1,000 men, considerably larger than most NATO armies.
The list describes the current structure of the army, which replaced the previous structure NEW HEER. Under the heading of “transformation”, the structure of the army is subject to constant change in small steps. With this current structure, the HEER 2011 structure was achieved. The first fundamental step was the establishment of the Army Command with the simultaneous elimination of the Army Command and the Army Command Staff on October 1, 2012. At this point in time (October 2012), the Army comprised around 68,000 active soldiers. The HEER 2011 structure was largely achieved at unit level at the end of 2015. At the same time, the first changes occurred compared to the originally intended ARMY 2011 structure. For example, the non-actively planned 414 tank battalion was transformed into a German-Dutch active tank battalion and subordinated to the Dutch 43 Mechanised Brigade.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine from February 2022, NATO began expanding its forces in the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In November 2023 a press release from the German Ministry of Defence specified that a new armoured brigade, , would be established in Lithuania. It will comprise Panzer Battalion 203 from Augustdorf, and Panzergrenadier Battalion 122. Initial command elements will start moving in the second quarter of 2024, and a staff to establish the brigade in the fourth quarter of 2024. [1] The overall NATO headquarters supervising this area is Multinational Corps North East.
The German Army uses the term " Jäger" to describe its light infantry units and formations. Mountain infantry is designated as Gebirgsjäger, while Paratroopers are designated as Fallschirmjäger. Armoured units equipped with main battle tanks are designated as Panzer formations, while mechanized infantry units equipped with tracked infantry fighting vehicles are designated as Panzergrenadier formations.
Note: The 1st Panzer Division also has the Royal Netherlands Army's 43rd Mechanized Brigade under its command.
Note: The 10th Panzer Division also has the Royal Netherlands Army's 13th Light Brigade under its command.
The division also has administrative control of the German units in the Franco-German Brigade:
Note: The Rapid Forces Division also has the Royal Netherlands Army's 11th Airmobile Brigade under its command.
As part of the Multinational Corps Northeast:
As part of the Royal Netherlands Army's 43rd Mechanized Brigade:
Signals, Psychological Operations, Strategic Reconnaissance (incl. SIGINT), Geographic Information (incl. military satellites), and Electronic Warfare units of the German Armed Forces fall under the Cyber and Information Domain Command (Kommando Cyber- und Informationsraum) of the Bundeswehr. Therefore, the German Army does not have its own units of such type, but is supported by the units of the Cyber and Information Space Command as needed.
Logistics, CBRN defense and Military Police units of the German Armed Forces fall under the Joint Support Service (Streitkräftebasis) of the Bundeswehr. Therefore, the German Army does not have its own units of such type, but is supported by the units of the Joint Support Service as needed.
All medical units of the German Armed Forces fall under the Joint Medical Service of the Bundeswehr (Zentraler Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr). Therefore, the German Army does not have its own medical units, but is supported by the units of the Joint Medical Service as needed.