According to Article 65a of the German Constitution (German: Grundgesetz), the Federal Minister of Defence is Commander-in-chief (German: Inhaber der Befehls- und Kommandogewalt) of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces.[1] Article 115b decrees that in the state of defence, declared by the Bundestag with consent of the Bundesrat, the command in chief passes to the Federal Chancellor.[2] The highest-ranking military officer in the Bundeswehr is the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (German: Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr).