Eberhard Zorn (born February 19, 1960) is a German general who serves as the 16th and incumbent

Inspector General An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory of ...

of the ''

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

'', the German Armed Forces.

Background

Born on February 19, 1960, in

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

, he entered the military in 1978 at the Artillery School in

Idar-Oberstein Idar-Oberstein () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a ''Große kreisangehörige Stadt'' (large city belonging to a district), it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in ...

, trained as an artillery officer and completed his artillery officer training and course of study in economics and organizational sciences at the

Bundeswehr University Munich 200px, Entrance to the university Bundeswehr University Munich (german: Universität der Bundeswehr München, UniBw München) is one of two research universities in Germany at federal level that both were founded in 1973 as part of the German Ar ...

from 1979 to 1983. Promoted to

1st lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

, he was assigned as platoon leader and intelligence officer (S 2), Observation Battalion 103 (''Beobachtungsbataillon 103'') in Pfullendorf from 1983 to 1987, and became commander of the 3rd Battery, Observation Battalion 123, from 1987 to 1990, promoted as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, and commander of the fire control and operations and training officer (S 3), Headquarters Artillery Regiment 12, from 1990 to 1991 both in

Tauberbischofsheim Tauberbischofsheim is a German town in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg on the river Tauber with a population of about 13,200. It is the capital of the Main-Tauber district. It is a popular tourist destination due to its numerous historical ...

. He entered the 34th General Staff Officer Course at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

from 1991 to 1993 and attended the French General Staff Officer Course (CSEM/CID) in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, in 1993–1995. He was assigned in KLK/4th Division in

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the ...

as G4 and chief of Materiel Management Section; Deployment abroad as ACOS logistics (G 4); German Army Contingent UNPF/GECONIFOR(L); 1st Contingent, TROGIR operations and training staff officer (G 3) and chief of Administrative Control Section. In 1997–1999, he was assigned in the operations and personnel staff officer (G 1 Op), German Army Forces Command in

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus around 8 B.C. Its nam ...

, became commander, Field Artillery/ Armored Artillery Battalion 295 (''Feld- und Panzerartilleriebataillon 295'') in

Immendingen Immendingen is a municipality in the district of Tuttlingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany located on the Upper Danube. It is famous for the Danube Sinkhole. Geography Immendingen is located on the Upper Danube. On the municipal area are part ...

in 1997–2001, promoted as

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...

, became assistant chief of branch at the Federal Ministry of Defense, Personnel, Social Services and Central Affairs (PSZ IV 4) Directorate in 2001–2002 and assistant chief of branch personnel, PSZ I 4 in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

. He became branch chief plans/operations/organization (G 3) at HQ German Army Forces Command, ACOS Plans/Operations/Organization (G 3) at German Army Forces Command in

from 2004 to 2007 perspectively, became branch chief Army Staff I 1 (personnel policy matters/leadership development and civic education), in the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

in 2007–2009, and became branch chief Army Staff Z (Central Tasks), Federal Ministry of Defense in

2009–2010. He became commander of 26th Airborne Brigade of the

Rapid Forces Division The ''Division Schnelle Kräfte'' (Rapid Forces Division) formerly ''Division Spezielle Operationen'' (Special Operations Division) is an airborne division of the German Army. Its headquarters staff is based at Stadtallendorf. It was created as 1s ...

Saarlouis Saarlouis (; french: link=no, Sarrelouis, ; formerly Sarre-Libre and Saarlautern) is a town in Saarland, Germany, capital of the district of Saarlouis. In 2020, the town had a population of 34,409. Saarlouis, as the name implies, is located on t ...

from 2010 to 2012, and was promoted as

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

. He also served as the head of personal staff to Chief of Defence in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

in 2012–2014, became the commander of the Rapid Response Forces Division (DSK) in 2014–2015, and was promoted as

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

. He became director forces policy, Ministry of Defence, and director-general for personnel,

in 2017–2018 promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

, before becoming the

Inspector General of the Bundeswehr Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

and promoted to

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

since April 19, 2018.

Effective dates of promotion

Awards

– Gold Cross of Honour * GER Bundeswehr Honour Cross Silver ribbon

– Silver Cross of Honour * GER Bundeswehr Honour Cross Bronze ribbon

– Bronze Cross of Honour * Einsatz_IFOR

– Armed Forces Deployment Medal, IFOR * BW Einsatz SFOR Bandschnalle bronze

– Armed Forces Deployment Medal,

SFOR The Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian war. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. It ...

–

German Sports Badge The German Sports Badge (German: ''Deutsches Sportabzeichen'' (DSA)) is a decoration of the German Olympic Sports Federation DOSB. The German Sports Badge test is carried out primarily in Germany, and in other countries abroad. History The Ger ...

– German rescue swimming badge * ONZ Medal w Służbie Pokoju UNPROFOR BAR

–

United Nations Medal A United Nations Medal is an international decoration awarded by the United Nations (UN) to the various world countries members for participation in joint international military and police operations such as peacekeeping, humanitarian efforts, an ...

for

UNPROFOR The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav ...

– NATO medal for the former Yugoslavia * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

– Officier,

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

– National Defence Medal, clasp: 'Corps Européen' (France) * Medaille de la Defense Nationale Or ribbon

– National Defence Medal, clasp: 'Artillerie' (France) * – Commander,

Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg The Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (French: ''Ordre de Mérite du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg'') is an order of merit of Luxembourg, instituted on 23 January 1961 by Grand Duchess Charlotte. Grand Master of the order is the Grand ...

* – Commander,

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

–

Cross for the Four Day Marches The Cross for the Four Day Marches ( nl, Vierdaagsekruis) is a Dutch Royal decoration awarded for successful participation in the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen (Vierdaagse in Dutch) held annually at Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The f ...

(Netherlands) * US Parachutist Badge * German Silver Parachutist Badge

References

NATO website ''(Accessed 28 July 2019)''
/ref> {{DEFAULTSORT:Zorn, Eberhard 1960 births Living people Inspectors General of the Bundeswehr Generals of the German Army NATO military personnel People from Saarbrücken Military personnel from Saarland