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Deputy Chief of Staff Operations

Brigadier General Christoph Pliet

Brigadier General Christoph Pliet is the Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at NATO's Headquarters Allied Air Command, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. General Pliet is responsible to the Commander Allied Air Command for all operational matters, including Air Policing, Ballistic Missile Defence, Article 5 and Crisis Response Operations. He is also responsible for ensuring Headquarters Allied Air Command is prepared to establish an Air Operations Centre if required for an emerging Contingency Operation.

Born in Tettnang, Germany, on 11 September 1962, he started his career in the German Air Force in 1980 and became a fighter weapon systems officer in 1984. After earning his wings, he served ten years as an Instructor Weapons Systems Officer, Training Officer and Executive Officer in the 31st Fighter Bomber Wing, Kerpen, Germany. Following this assignment, he was selected to attend the Federal Armed Forces General Staff College in Hamburg, Germany.

During his career, Brigadier General Pliet served in various command assignments from group commander to wing commander. He held assignments as Branch Chief, Ministry of Defence, Planning Directorate and Capability Management of Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Branch. As capability manager of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance as well as Command and Control platforms, he was responsible for requirements. Promoted to his present rank in 2018, Brigadier General Pliet was assigned to NATO as the Deputy Commander of the Deployable Air Command and Control Centre at Poggio Renatico, Italy, and subsequently, Deputy Commander of the NATO's Combined Air Operations Command at Uedem, Germany.

His operational assignments include Deputy Division Chief of Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command, where he was responsible for the planning of Bundeswehr Operations, Stabilization, Balkans. He also served as Base Defence Commander and Wing Commander, Operations Wing, Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan.

Brigadier General Pliet is a command weapon systems officer with more than 2,000 flying hours and over 70 combat hours in the Tornado fighter aircraft.

He and his wife Bettina have two children.


EDUCATION

1984 German Air Force Academy

1996 Federal Armed Forces General Staff College

2006 NATO Defense College, Rome


ASSIGNMENTS

1980 – 1984    Student, German Air Force Academy, Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany.

1984 – 1994    Instructor Weapons System Officer, Training Officer and Executive Officer, 31st Fighter Bomber Wing, Kerpen, Germany.

1994 – 1996    Student, Federal Armed Forces General Staff College, Hamburg, Germany.

1996 – 1998    Branch Chief, Combined Air Operations Centre, Messstetten, Germany.

1998 – 2001    Operations Group Commander, Reconnaissance Wing 51, Kropp, Germany.

1999 – 2000    Commander, Operations Wing 1, Kosovo Force (KFOR), Piacenza, Italy.

2001 – 2002    Assistant Branch Chief, Air Force Staff, Ministry of Defence, Bonn, Germany.

2002 – 2003    Assistant Branch Chief, German Armed Forces Staff, Ministry of Defence, Bonn, Germany.

2003 – 2005    Military Assistant to Vice Chief of Staff Bundeswehr, Ministry of Defence, Bonn, Germany

2006 – 2006    Staff Assistant to Chief of Staff, Air Force Command, Cologne, Germany.

2006 – 2008    Commander, Fighter Bomber Wing 33, Büchel, Germany.

2007 – 2008    Commander, Operations Wing, Masar-e Sharif, Afghanistan.

2008 – 2009    Deputy Division Chief J5, Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command, Potsdam, Germany.

2010 – 2012    Division Chief J3, Bundeswehr Response Forces Operations Command, Ulm, Germany.

2012 – 2016    Branch Chief, NATO's Supreme Allied Command Transformation, Norfolk, Virginia USA.

2016 – 2018 Branch Chief, Planning Directorate/Capability Management Command and Control and Intelligence, Surveillance and           Reconnaissance Branch, Ministry of Defence, Bonn, Germany.

2018 – 2021    Deputy Commander Deployable Air Command and Control Centre, Poggio Renatico, Italy.

2022                Deputy Commander of the NATO's Combined Air Operations Command at Uedem, Germany

Since 05/2022 Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at Allied Air Command, Ramstein, Germany.


FLIGHT INFORMATION

Rating: Command Weapon Systems Officer

Flight hours: 2000+

Aircraft Flown: Tornado, A-Jet, T-37, T-43 and P-149


MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Cross of Honor of the Bundeswehr in Gold

German Armed Forces Deployment Medal SFOR

German Armed Forces Deployment Medal ISAF

NATO Medal SFOR

NATO Medal ISAF


EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant 1983

First Lieutenant 1985

Captain 1989

Major 1993

Lieutenant Colonel 1995

Colonel 2006

Brigadier General 2018

(Current as of May 2022)



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Germany

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