Jan Christian Kaack | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 24 December 1962 Eutin, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
| Allegiance |  Germany |
| Service/ |  German Navy |
| Years of service | 1979–present |
| Rank | Vizeadmiral (vice admiral) |
| Commands held |
|
Jan Christian Kaack (born 24 December 1962) is a Vizeadmiral of the German Navy and as of March 11th, 2022 Inspector of the Navy.
Kaack joined the navy in October 1979 and was initially assigned as a navigator to 7. Schnellbootgeschwader. He began officer training at the Naval Academy Mürwik, Flensburg in October 1983, graduating in September 1984. From October 1984 to December 1987 he studied economics and organisational science at the University of the Bundeswehr Hamburg, and in January 1988 began specialised training in surface warfare at the Naval Warfare School at Kappeln, completing the course in March 1989. Kaack's next assignment was as a Weapons Officer in 3. Schnellbootgeschwader at Flensburg from April 1989 to August 1991. He then spent a period on secondment with the French Navy from September 1991 to June 1992, serving as navigation officer aboard the helicopter carrier Jeanne d'Arc. [1]
Kaack's next two years of service were spent commanding fast attack craft, S49 Wolf and S50 Panther, as part of 3. Schnellbootgeschwader from July 1992 to September 1994. From October 1994 to November 1995 he underwent advanced technical training at the Marine Operations School, Bremerhaven, before deploying from December 1995 to September 1997 as operations officer on the destroyer Rommel. Kaack then undertook admiral staff training at the Military Academy of the German Armed Forces at Hamburg from October 1997 to September 1999, before becoming first officer of the destroyer Mölders the following month. He served in this role until March 2001, before being appointed as Staff Officer at Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum until December 2002. He spent January to March 2003 on parental leave, before returning to active service as commander of the frigate Bayern. [1]
Kaack served as commander of the Bayern until June 2004, before taking up an appointment as Deputy Head of the Armed Forces Staff at the Federal Ministry of Defence. After the completion of this service in June 2006, he began a one-year postgraduate degree at the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. On his return to Germany in August 2007 Kaack became head of admiral staff training at the Military Academy of the German Armed Forces, holding the post until September 2008, when he became Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of Einsatzflottille 1 at Kiel. This posting lasted until September 2012, and the following month Kaack became Head of the Military Policy and Operations Unit (Sub-Saharan Africa, America, Arctic) at the Federal Ministry of Defence. With the completion of this posting in September 2014 he took up the position of Head of the Concepts and International Cooperation Branch at Navy Command, Rostock. In May 2015 he became commander of Einsatzflottille 1 and director of NATO's Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters. [1] He held this post until April 2018, when he became one of the Deputy Chiefs of the Joint Support Service Command. [2] Kaack assumed command of NATO's Joint Warfare Centre in Stavanger, Norway, on July 10, 2019, and thereby became the centre's ninth Commander. [3]
He became acting Inspector of the Navy (commander of the German Navy) as a result of Kay-Achim Schönbach's resignation of the 22nd of January 2022. [4] As of March 11th, 2022 he became the Inspector of the Navy.
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.
Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is a military command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), formed in 2003 after restructuring.
John B. Nathman is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command until 17 May 2007.
Rear Admiral Richard Joseph Naughton was the superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy from 2002 to 2003.
Samuel Jones "Sam" Locklear III is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as the commander of the United States Pacific Command from March 9, 2012, to May 27, 2015. Prior to that, he served as Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe – United States Naval Forces Africa and NATO's Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples. Prior to that, he served as Director, Navy Staff from July 2009 to October 2010. He retired from the navy on July 1, 2015, after 39 years of service.
Rear Admiral Davyd Rhys Thomas, is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve.
Thomas L. Brown II was a retired United States Navy officer and the first Navy officer to command Special Operations Command South, based in Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base, Florida.
Brian Lee Losey is a retired rear admiral of the United States Navy. He headed the Naval Special Warfare Command from 2013 until his retirement in 2016. Losey is a native of Tacoma, Washington.
Markus Krause-Traudes is a Flottillenadmiral of the German Navy, who has served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, at the Multinational Joint Headquarters Ulm since April 2012.
Rear Admiral Allan Kendall du Toit, is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Navy, who served as Australia's Military Representative to NATO and the European Union from 2013 until his retirement in 2016. Du Toit previously served as the Commander Border Protection Command until being succeeded by Rear Admiral Tim Barrett in February 2010.
Günter Luther was a German admiral who became Inspector of the Navy and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO. During World War II, he served as a military pilot in the Kriegsmarine and a paratrooper in the Luftwaffe. After the war, he joined the newly founded West German Bundesmarine in 1956.
Andreas Krause is a Vizeadmiral of the German Navy of the Bundeswehr, and he served as Inspector of the Navy. He previously served as a U-boat officer, as a staff officer in the Bundeswehr and NATO, as commander of the German Navy's 1st Flotilla and the Maritime Task Force for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, and as Deputy Inspector of the Navy.
Rainer Maria Brinkmann is a Vizeadmiral of the German Navy, and the current Deputy Inspector of the Navy. He previously served in fast attack craft units, and in staff positions, and has a degree in education from the University of the Bundeswehr Hamburg.
Albrecht Obermaier was a German naval officer who served in the Kriegsmarine in World War II, and in the postwar Navy of West Germany. He reached the rank of Vizeadmiral, serving as the first chief of the Navy Office, and as commander of Naval Forces Baltic Approaches for NATO.
Timothy Gerard "Tim" Szymanski is a retired United States Navy vice admiral who last served as deputy commander of United States Special Operations Command from October 15, 2018 to December 2021. He is the former commander of United States Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, California.
Manfred Nielson is a retired admiral of the German Navy who last served as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia.
Vice Admiral Anders Jan-Eric Törnqvist is a retired Swedish Navy officer. Before his retirement in 2020, he served as the Chief of Joint Operations of the Swedish Armed Forces from 2016 to 2020 and as Commandant General in Stockholm from 2019 to 2020.
Sean Averell Pybus is a retired United States Navy Vice Admiral who last served as the deputy Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) from 2014 to 2016. He previously served as the Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command from 2011 to 2013.
Colin James Kilrain is a retired United States Navy vice admiral who last served as the assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 20, 2021 to February 2023. He previously served as the associate director for military affairs (ADMA) for the Central Intelligence Agency from 2019 to 2021. He is the former commander of Special Operations Command Pacific and Naval Special Warfare Group Two.
Hervé Bléjean is a military officer of the French Navy who is currently serving as the Director-General of the European Union Military Staff since 1 July 2020, having been elected to take up the role on 22 May 2019. He previously served as the Deputy Commander of NATO Maritime Command.