Kiel: Change of commander in Flotilla 1

Today, Wednesday 15 September, Flotilla Admiral Christian Bock (52) will take over the Command about the Operational flotilla 1 to Flotilla Admiral Henning Faltin (54). Flotilla Admiral Bock has been Commander of the flotilla and Director of the Centre of Excellence for Operations in Coastal Waters (COE CSW) since April 2018. The Head of Operations in the Naval CommandRear Admiral Jürgen zur Mühlen (61), will preside over the ceremony.

"The past three and a half years have challenged our unique large organisation with its mix of people, expertise and weapon systems in every conceivable way. We were present every day in the Bundeswehr's operational areas, on and under water, from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean, on land, from Norway to Afghanistan and Niger. The pandemic placed additional demands on us in quarantines, months of absence without going ashore, in the vaccination centres and in tracking and tracing. I would like to thank all the men and women of EF1 for their immense commitment and professionalism - "BRAVO ZULU"!"

Flotilla Admiral Bock lives in the area around Kiel and is personally very well connected in the city. It was very important to him to Operational flotilla 1 as part of Kiel society and to actively involve it in events and happenings beyond Kiel Week. In this he found support in his association, especially as the extraordinary potential for ideas and innovations was recognised and talents promoted. Flotilla Admiral Bock is moving to the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College in Hamburg, where he will take up the post of Director of Training.

His successor, Flotilla Admiral Faltin, is moving from the Naval Command in Rostock to Kiel. "We have an exciting time ahead of us, in which the skills of the Operational flotilla 1 will continue to improve in the foreseeable future," he says, looking back on his time as commander of the Operational flotilla 1 ahead. "Many changes and innovations are currently underway in all associations, bases and units, which will continue to demand a lot from the men and women in all associations. But what more could you want than to change things for the better together and to try out and integrate new things. I am looking forward to my task as commander, to the city of Kiel and to the men and women of the Operational flotilla 1to shape the coming years with them."