Harald Kujat
Encyclopedia
Harald Kujat is a retired German
general. He served as Chief of Staff of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr
, from 2000 to 2002, and as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee
from 2002 to 2005.
(today Poland
) to a farmer who died as a soldier in World War II
. His mother with her four children fled the advancing
Red Army
at the end of World War II
to Kiel
. After passing his Abitur
Kujat volunteered the Luftwaffe
in 1959. In 1965 he was promoted to a lieutenant
and became the Staff Officer of the German secretary of defense Georg Leber
in 1972-75. Kujat passed the general staff training at the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr
(Hamburg
) in 1975-77 and served as the Staff Officer of Hans Apel
in 1977. The same year he took over a department at the Luftwaffenunterstützungsgruppenkommando Nord at Münster
and held several positions at the Department of Defense and the German Chancellery
in Bonn
. In 1985 Kujat became the commanding officer of the II. Bataillon of Luftwaffenausbildungsregiment 1 in Appen
near Pinneberg
.
In 1988 Kujat passed the 72nd course of the NATO Defense College
in Rome
and was promoted an Oberst
in October 1988. In 1989 he became a referent of the German Representative at the Chairman of the Military Committee in Brussels
, Branch Chief (Nuclear and Global Arms Control) at the Federal Ministry of Defence in 1990 and Chief of Staff and Deputy German Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee and the Western European Union, Brussels, in 1992-95.
In 1996 Kujat became the Director of the IFOR
Co-ordination Centre (ICC), Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
(SHAPE), Mons
, Belgium
and in October Deputy Director of the NATO International Military Staff in Brussels.
On 10 November 1998 Kujat, now a Generalleutnant, became the Director Policy and Advisory Staff to Rudolf Scharping
, the German Minister of Defence, Berlin and on 1 June 2000 the
Chief of Staff of the Federal Forces. In 2002 Kujat became the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee until his retirement on 17 June 2005.
Kujat currently serves as the Chair of the Advisory Council of the Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium
.
Kujat is married and has three children.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
general. He served as Chief of Staff of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
, from 2000 to 2002, and as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee
Chairman of the NATO Military Committee
The Chairman of the NATO Military Committee's authority stems from the NATO Military Committee, to which he is responsible in the performance of his duties. He chairs all meetings of the Military Committee and acts in an international capacity. In his absence, the Deputy Chairman of the Military...
from 2002 to 2005.
Biography
Kujat was born in Mielke, Reichsgau WarthelandReichsgau Wartheland
Reichsgau Wartheland was a Nazi German Reichsgau formed from Polish territory annexed in 1939. It comprised the Greater Poland and adjacent areas, and only in part matched the area of the similarly named pre-Versailles Prussian province of Posen...
(today Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) to a farmer who died as a soldier in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His mother with her four children fled the advancing
Evacuation of East Prussia
The evacuation of East Prussia refers to the evacuation of the German civilian population and military personnel in East Prussia and the Klaipėda region between 20 January, and March 1945, as part of the evacuation of German civilians towards the end of World War II...
Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. After passing his Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
Kujat volunteered the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
in 1959. In 1965 he was promoted to a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and became the Staff Officer of the German secretary of defense Georg Leber
Georg Leber
Georg Leber is a German politician in the Social Democratic Party of Germany .After serving in the Luftwaffe in World War 2, he joined the SPD in 1947...
in 1972-75. Kujat passed the general staff training at the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr
Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr
The Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr is the highest military academy of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr. Established in 1957, and since 1958 located in Hamburg, it is the successor of the Prussian Military Academy that was established in 1810...
(Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
) in 1975-77 and served as the Staff Officer of Hans Apel
Hans Apel
Hans Eberhard Apel was a German politician and a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany . From 1972-74 he was Parliamentary State Secretary to the Foreign Minister...
in 1977. The same year he took over a department at the Luftwaffenunterstützungsgruppenkommando Nord at Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
and held several positions at the Department of Defense and the German Chancellery
German Chancellery
The German Chancellery is a federal agency serving the executive office of the Chancellor, the head of the German federal government. The chief of the Chancellery holds the rank of either a Secretary of State or a Federal Minister ...
in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
. In 1985 Kujat became the commanding officer of the II. Bataillon of Luftwaffenausbildungsregiment 1 in Appen
Appen
Appen is a municipality in the district of Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. 3 km west of Pinneberg, and 20 km northwest of Hamburg.It is twinned with the village of Polegate, near Eastbourne in East Sussex, England....
near Pinneberg
Pinneberg
Pinneberg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, capital of the district Pinneberg in Germany. The town has 42,301 inhabitants. Pinneberg is located 18 km northwest of Hamburg....
.
In 1988 Kujat passed the 72nd course of the NATO Defense College
NATO Defense College
NATO Defense College is an international military college for North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries located in Rome, Italy.-History:...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and was promoted an Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
in October 1988. In 1989 he became a referent of the German Representative at the Chairman of the Military Committee in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Branch Chief (Nuclear and Global Arms Control) at the Federal Ministry of Defence in 1990 and Chief of Staff and Deputy German Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee and the Western European Union, Brussels, in 1992-95.
In 1996 Kujat became the Director of the IFOR
IFOR
The Implementation Force was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename Operation Joint Endeavour. Its task was to implement the military Annexes of The General Framework Agreement for...
Co-ordination Centre (ICC), Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons...
(SHAPE), Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and in October Deputy Director of the NATO International Military Staff in Brussels.
On 10 November 1998 Kujat, now a Generalleutnant, became the Director Policy and Advisory Staff to Rudolf Scharping
Rudolf Scharping
Rudolf Scharping is a German politician .Scharping studied politics, sociology and law at the University of Bonn. He joined the Social Democratic Party in 1966. He was Member of the Rhineland-Palatine Parliament from 1975 to 1994. From 21 May 1991 to 15 October 1994 he was prime minister of the...
, the German Minister of Defence, Berlin and on 1 June 2000 the
Chief of Staff of the Federal Forces. In 2002 Kujat became the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee until his retirement on 17 June 2005.
Kujat currently serves as the Chair of the Advisory Council of the Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium
Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium
The Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium is an international not-for-profit collaborative organization, chartered in the United States, whose goal is to facilitate the adoption of existing and emerging open technical standards...
.
Kujat is married and has three children.