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East Germany Ministry of Defense
The NVA is administered through the Ministry of Defense, one
of the principal branches of the national government. In December
1985, General (Armeegeneral) Heinz Kessler became minister of
defense with headquarters in Strausberg, just outside Berlin.
Kessler replaced Hoffmann, who held the post from 1960 until his
death in 1985. Kessler was assisted by a colloquium of deputy
ministers who were also chiefs of certain key administrations
within the ministry.
In 1987 the deputy ministers and their assignments were as
follows: Lieutenant General (Generalleutnant) Klaus-Dieter
Baumgarten, chief of the Border Troops; Admiral Wilhelm Ehm,
chief of the People's Navy; Colonel General (Generaloberst)
Joachim Goldbach, chief of Technology and Weaponry; Lieutenant
General Horst Brünner, chief of the Main Political Administration
(Kessler's former post); Colonel General Wolfgang Reinhold, chief
of the Air Force/Air Defense Force; Colonel General Horst
Stechbarth, chief of the ground forces; Colonel General Fritz
Streletz, chief of the Main Staff and secretary of the National
Defense Council; Lieutenant General Fritz Peter, chief of Civil
Defense; and Lieutenant General Manfred Graetz, chief of Rear
Services.
The organization of the East German Ministry of Defense,
which closely follows the pattern of the Soviet Ministry of
Defense, comprises several administrations and departments, among
which there appears to be a certain amount of overlapping
authority. In the mid-1980s, its complement of about 4,200
personnel had a military-to-civilian ratio of approximately three
to one, in contrast to comparable Western ministries or
departments that generally have a much higher proportion of
civilian employees. Approximately 100 Soviet officers also were
assigned to the East German ministry. The chiefs of the major
administrations and commands concurrently served as deputies to
the defense minister
(see
fig. 13).
Data as of July 1987
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