Lieutenant General Gerald Funke, Commander of the Bundeswehr Joint Support Command (part of the German Armed Forces) visited 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade in South Cerney, Gloucestershire, yesterday (24 March) as part of an official visit to the United Kingdom.
A REME soldier within 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade, shows Lieutenant General Gerald Funke drones.
Lieutenant General Gerald Funke in a brief with 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade.
A REME soldier within 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade, shows Lieutenant General Gerald Funke show their vehicles and equipment used within their role.
German Armed Forces of the Bundeswehr Joint Support Command at 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade HQ
Lieutenant General Funke commands approximately 55,000 personnel within the Bundeswehr Joint Support Command, based in Bonn, Germany. The command brings together a range of capabilities that support the German Armed Forces, including logistics, medical services, military policing and civil-military cooperation.
The visit to 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade prompted discussion about the organisations' closely aligned roles in delivering support to Operations.
One of the General's accompanying staff, Commander Anja Scheuren, said, "It has been excellent to watch and touch and understand from the guys here, the boots on the ground, what we heard and learnt of in the MoD during briefings."
104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade commands the British Army’s enabling capabilities, including port and maritime logistics, postal services and equipment recovery. It is responsible for the storage and distribution of fuel, ammunition and medical supplies which are critical to supporting UK forces on Operations overseas. By integrating capabilities such as Engineers, Medics, and Military police, the Brigade enables the British Army to deploy on Operations overseas at short notice.
We have discussed future ways to communicate closer, how to improve cohesion, cooperation and interoperability. We're all facing the same threat.
The visit reinforced the importance of the Trinity House Agreement, a Defence cooperation agreement between the United Kingdom and Germany signed in 2024. The agreement provides a framework for closer collaboration between the two nations’ Armed forces across areas such as training, logistics and operational planning. It is designed to improve how both militaries work together in practice, enabling them to share expertise, coordinate activity more effectively, and operate alongside one another more seamlessly when deployed.
Speaking on this subject, the General said, "It's very interesting to see and we have discussed future ways to communicate closer, how to improve cohesion, cooperation and interoperability. We're all facing the same threat."
Lieutenant General Funke’s visit highlighted the critical role played by supporting forces in military capability and readiness. It also demonstrated the continued strength of the UK-Germany partnership and its importance in ensuring allied forces remain prepared to respond to shared challenges. To underline this, the General extended an invitation for units from 104 Brigade to take part in a German military exercise later in the year in the Baltic states.
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