Eberhard Zorn

Zorn as General Inspector, 2018

Eberhard Zorn visits Israel, December 2019

Eberhard Zorn (born February 19, 1960 in Saarbrücken ) is a general in the Army of the Bundeswehr and since April 19, 2018 the 16th General Inspector of the Bundeswehr .

Military career

Training and first uses

In 1978, Zorn joined the German Armed Forces at the Artillery School in Idar-Oberstein and was trained as an officer in the artillery force . He then completed a degree in economics and organizational sciences at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg , which he graduated with a degree in business administration. From 1983 to 1987 Oberleutnant Zorn was employed as platoon leader and officer for military communications (S 2) in the 103 observation battalion in Pfullendorf . In 1987, while being promoted to captain , Zorn took over the post of battery chief of the 3rd battery of the 123 observation battalion in Tauberbischofsheim . Three years later, in 1990, Zorn was transferred to the staff of the higher artillery regiment 12 at the same location, where he served for a year as a fire control , operations and training officer (S 3).

Service as a staff officer

From 1991 to 1993 graduated anger the 34th National General Staff (LGAN) course-at the Staff College in Hamburg, where he became the general staff officer has been formed, and was with promotion to Major after France placed where it 1993-1995 in Paris completed the French General Staff Course (CSEM / CID).

Back in Germany, Zorn was transferred to Regensburg , where from 1995 to 1997 he was on the staff of the Luftmobile Forces Command, which had been set up only a year earlier . Division first served as department head G 4 logistics and finally as department head G 3 operations management under Bernd Albert . In the meantime he was on assignment abroad as department head G 4 in the staff of the DtHKtgt UNPF / GECONIFOR (L) 1st contingent, Trogir .

In 1997, Zorn was transferred to the Army Command in Koblenz , where he served as a staff officer (G 1) under the chief of staff, Axel Bürgener , until 1999 .

In 1999 , when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel , Zorn took command of the field and later armored artillery battalion 295 in Immendingen , which he led until 2001. During this assignment, Zorn was deployed abroad: SFOR as G 3 and deputy head of department in the staff of the MND (SE) in Mostar. This was followed by a transfer to the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg) in Bonn , where he served for one year as a policy adviser in the department for personnel, social and central affairs (PSZ IV 4 individual personnel matters for military personnel). He stayed in this department and changed department in 2002 and served as HR officer until 2004 (PSZ I 4).

In 2004, Zorn was reassigned to the Army Command, where he served for a year as Operations Staff Officer (G 3) and Group Leader Planning / Operation / Organization under the Chief of Staff Bruno Kasdorf and the Commander Axel Bürgener. With promotion to colonel , Zorn took over the post of department head G3 in 2005. He headed this department until 2007 under Kasdorf and Manfred Hofmann .

In 2007 Zorn was reassigned to Bonn, this time to the Army Command, where he served for two years as Head of the Personnel Policy Matters, Personnel Structure and Internal Management (Fü H I 1) headed by Werner Freers . In 2009, Zorn took over the management of the department for central tasks in the BMVg / command staff of the army (Fü H / Z).

Service in the rank of general

On January 14, 2010, Zorn took over command of Airborne Brigade 26 in Saarlouis from Volker Bescht and was appointed brigadier general in this role a short time later. He held this command until the end of January 2012. He then worked as the office manager of the Bundeswehr Inspector General in the Federal Ministry of Defense. On June 12, 2014, Zorn succeeded Jörg Vollmer as commander of the Rapid Forces division and was promoted to major general in this role. On October 1, 2015, he took over the position of Head of Armed Forces Management as successor to Heinrich Lange . Associated with this was the promotion to lieutenant general. On August 1, 2017, Zorn succeeded Joachim Rühle as Head of Human Resources.

General Inspector

In a press release on March 16, 2018, the Federal Ministry of Defense announced that Zorn should succeed the previous Inspector General Volker Wieker , who retired at the end of April 2018. On April 19, 2018, Federal Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen officially introduced Eberhard Zorn to the position of Inspector General of the Bundeswehr and at the same time promoted him to General.