Major General (ret.) Wolfgang Gäbelein

German Association for Defence Technology e. V. (DWT)

Retired Major General Wolfgang Gäbelein, born on 30 April 1960, is married and the father of two sons. He grew up in Weiden in the Upper Palatinate, where he completed his schooling. From 1 July 1979 to 31 March 2025, he served as a soldier in the Bundeswehr, serving in the Air Force.

Following his officer training, he studied aerospace engineering at the University of the Bundeswehr in Munich, graduating with a degree in engineering (Dipl.-Ing. (univ.)). He then completed his training as an aircraft maintenance officer. He served in various Air Force units, including as a technical officer, squadron commander of a maintenance squadron and commander of a technical group. Following his General Staff training, he took on further leadership roles and responsibilities in the areas of logistics, operations and strategic planning within command authorities and departments of the Air Force and the Armed Forces Support Command, as well as within the Bundeswehr Operations Command.

His other posts included serving as Air Force Aide-de-Camp to the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, as well as a total of twelve years at the Federal Ministry of Defence, where he worked as a senior officer, head of division and head of sub-department. In addition, he served as Deputy Commander of the Bundeswehr Logistics Command and Head of the Bundeswehr Planning Office. He gained international experience, amongst other things, during the IFOR and ISAF missions. 

In addition, he served as Deputy Commander of the Bundeswehr Logistics Command and Head of the Bundeswehr Planning Office. He gained international experience, amongst other things, during the IFOR and ISAF missions. He also served as the German representative on the multinational Supervisory Board of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) and later took over as Chair of this body.

Following his active service, Major General (retired) Gäbelein has continued to be involved in the field of security and defence policy. Since 1 October 2025, he has been Chairman of the Executive Board of the German Society for Defence Technology (DWT). Furthermore, he has been working as a Senior Expert for Bundeswehr Consulting GmbH since 1 June 2025.