Fritz Ploeger is a Stellar Advisor who retired from the German Air Force as a Lieutenant General after nearly 46 years of service. His final military posting was as the Deputy Commander of NATO Allied Air Command Ramstein at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He now resides in Sankt Augustin, Germany and serves as a Senior Mentor and Consultant to NATO, the German Armed Forces Defense Academy, and the German Air Force.
Before his Ramstein assignment, General Ploeger had a triple hatted function at Kalkar, Germany. As Commander of the German Air Force Air Operations Command (GAFAOC), he was responsible for a unique German nucleus of staff that, after augmentation, has the capability to execute operational planning as well as command and control of Air Force Operations at tactical and operational levels. As Commander Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem (CAOC Uedem), General Ploeger was responsible for planning, directing, tasking, and coordinating air operations of allocated forces and NATO Integrated Air Defense assets. His third function was that of Executive Director of the Joint Air Power Competence Centre (JAPCC), in which he supported the Director JAPCC as Joint Air Advisor to Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) in order to facilitate joint air power transformation at strategic level.
General Ploeger joined the German Air Force in 1967 and was trained to become an Air Defense Controller. He went through numerous command and staff assignments. In 1999, he became Commander of Air Force Communications and Information System Command. This posting was followed by an assignment as Assistant Chief of the Armed Forces Staff of the Military Policy and Arms Control Division at the Federal Ministry of Defense in 2000, before he assumed command of 2nd German Air Force Division in 2003.
As a Stellar Advisor, Fritz has provided senior leader mentoring during several Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) senior leader seminars and table top exercises for NATO and U.S. entities.
Security Clearance: NATO Secret
