Dieter Stöckmann (born 29 July 1941) is a retired

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

general of the

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

. He was Commander-in-Chief,

Allied Forces Central Europe Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) is a NATO command with its headquarters at Brunssum, the Netherlands. It was established in 2004, as part of a reorganisation that reduced the number of NATO Military Command Structure headquarters. ...

from 1996 to 1998.Biography at nato.int
/ref>

Biography

Stöckmann was born in Stolp,

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

(today Słupsk, Poland). His family was expelled from Stolp after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and he grew up in

Jever Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland (district), Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday res ...

, Germany. After passing his

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

in 1961, he joined the Bundeswehr as an officer cadet in a

Panzergrenadier (), abbreviated as ''PzG'' (WWII) or ''PzGren'' (modern), meaning ''Armoured fighting vehicle, "Armour"-ed fighting vehicle "Grenadier"'', is the German language, German term for the military doctrine of mechanized infantry units in armoured fo ...

battalion. Stöckmann attended his General Staff Training Course at the

Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr The Bundeswehr Command and Staff College (, ''FüAkBw'') is the General Staff College (''Senior Military Academy'') of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, established in 1957 as the successor of the Prussian Military Academy, founded in 181 ...

in 1972 - 1974 and served at the General Army Office. In 1976 - 1978 he attended the General Staff Training Course at the Royal Dutch Military Academy in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. After serving with the Panzergrenadiers he became the adjutant to the Chief of Staff of the German Army in 1982 and to the

Chief of Staff of the Federal Armed Forces The Inspector General of the (), is the highest-ranking military position held by a commissioned officer on active duty in the , the present-day armed forces of Germany. All Inspectors General have been of the rank of a ( four-star) general o ...

in 1984. Stöckmann commanded Panzerbrigade 15 in

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

from 1986 to 1989 and became the Head of the Personnel, Training and Leadership Development Department at Army Headquarters in

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

. He commanded the 5 Panzerdivision in Diez on the Lahn in 1991-1993 and was promoted to

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

in 1993, when he was appointed the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander at the Headquarters of the Allied Land Forces Central Europe in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

. In 1996, now with the rank of a General, he became Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe (CINCCENT) and the Chief of Staff of

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. SHAPE is situated in the villag ...

(SHAPE) on 1 April 1998. On 17 September 2001 Stöckmann was promoted to Deputy Commander, Supreme Allied Command Europe, a position he held until his retirement on 30 September 2002.German Department of Defense
/ref> General (ret.) Stöckmann is a Member of the Board of Advisors of the Global Panel Foundation (Berlin, Copenhagen, Prague, Sydney and Toronto) - a respected foundation which works behind-the-scenes in conflict areas around the world. He is married and has a son and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stockmann, Dieter People from Pomerania People from Słupsk Bundeswehr generals Living people 1941 births Graduates of the Koninklijke Militaire Academie NATO military personnel Generals of the German Army