Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck

German Air Force
North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Lieutenant General Viereck was born 9 March 1951 in Kassel (Germany).

Lieutenant General Viereck started his military career with the Bundeswehr in 1970. In 1974 he completed his pilot training at Sheppard AFB, USA.

Back in Germany, he served with 2nd Flying Squadron of Reconnaisance Wing 52 in Leck, first as a combat pilot, then as operations staff officer.

In 1982 he began his General Staff Officer Course at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College in Hamburg and consequently attended the General Staff Officer Course at the Danish Defense College in Copenhagen.

In 1985 he was assigned General Staff Officer to NATO Headquarters AIR BALTAP in Denmark. After 2 years he returned to Germany to become at first Deputy Commander, then Commander of the Flying Group of Fighter Bomber Wing 36 “Westfalen” in Hopsten. From 1990 to 1994, he held several assignments at the Federal Ministry of Defense in Bonn. After commanding Fighter Bomber Wing 34 “Allgäu” in Memmingen for 2 years, he returned to the Federal Ministry of Defense in 1996 where he became Chief of Branch III 1, Air Staff, in Bonn.

From 1998 to 2000 he served at the Federal Ministry of Defense in Berlin, Armed Forces Staff as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, III Branch, Military Policy and Arms Control. This was followed in 2000 by an assignment as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director Operations at the NATO Joint Command HQ Northern Europe in Stavanger, Norway.

In 2003 he returned to Germany to become Commander of the 4th Air Division in Aurich.

In 2005 he initially became Deputy Commander of the Bundeswehr Operations Command in Potsdam and later, on 16 March 2006, its Commander.
From April 2006 to February 2007 Lieutenant General Viereck had the command of the EUFOR mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as appointed EU Operation Commander.

His military decorations include the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor in Silver and Gold, the European Security Defense Policy Service Medal, the Commander of the National Order of Merit (France), Cross of Merit 2nd Class of the Estonian Ministry of Defense and the National Defense Medal France.

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