Col. (GS) Ralf Klewin-von Fintel
Military Professor, Course Director, Program on Applied Security Studies (PASS)
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
Colonel Klewin-von Fintel is a military professor at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. He joined the George C. Marshall Center in July 2019 and is the Course Director of the Program on Applied Security Studies (PASS), the institute’s longest and most comprehensive resident program.
Col. Klewin-von Fintel joined the German Army in 1978 for the completion of his light infantry and junior officer’s training. He earned his Diploma in Educational Sciences at the Federal Armed Forces University (today: Helmut-Schmidt-Universität) in Hamburg, Germany. After several Platoon Leader and Company Commander assignments at light infantry battalions in Schwanewede and Munster (both in Germany), he attended the 34th Command and General Staff Officer’s Course at the Federal Armed Forces Command and General Staff College in Hamburg, Germany.
In the following assignment he became Intelligence Analyst, Bundesnachrichtendienst, Pullach, Germany. Thereafter he served as G6 Operations and Leader Divisional Command Post Main as well as Staff Officer Electronic Warfare, Territorial Command VI/1st Mountain Division, Munich, Germany. Later he was assigned G2 Staff Officer, II. (GE/US) Corps, Ulm, Germany, followed by an assignment as Commander Mechanized Infantry Battalion 112, ‚Regen, Germany. During this time he also served as Commander Task Force Prizren, KFOR, Kosovo in 2000. Thereafter he had one assignment in the German MoD, Bonn, followed by his first tour at the George C. Marshall Center as Deputy Director of the Program on Terrorism and Security Studies (PTSS). Later he worked as G3 Staff Officer J5 Section, Multinational Joint Headquarters, Ulm, Germany and served during this time also as Joint Plans Officer, Force Headquarter (FHQ) EU Battle Group II/2008 (standby-phase) as well as Chief CJ3 Plans, RC North, ISAF, Afghanistan in 2010.
Afterwards he became G2 Division Special Operations, Stadtallendorf, Germany and participated as Chief Intelligence of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the military evacuation operation PEGASUS, Kreta, Greece in 2011. Later he served as Director Theatre Information, RC North, ISAF, Afghanistan in 2012. Prior to his current assignment, Col. Klewin-von Fintel served since 2013 as Deputy Commander Regional Territorial Command Bavaria and Senior Garrison Commander Munich, Germany. In addition he was responsible for the preparation and execution of military support for the G7 Summit 2015 in Elmau, Germany and the annual Munich Security Conferences. During this time, he also served as Liaison Officer Ministerial Liaison Team CJTF-OIR, Bagdad, Iraq from 2016 to 2017.
Col. Klewin-von Fintel is a recipient of the Cross of Honor in Silver of the Federal Armed Forces (1989), the Federal Armed Forces Medal for Services with NATO Operations in Relation to Kosovo (2000), the NATO Medal for Services with NATO Operations in Relations to Kosovo (2000), the Cross of Honor in Gold of the Federal Armed Forces (2002), the U.S. Legion of Merit (2010), the Federal Armed Forces Medal ISAF (2010), the NATO Medal ISAF (2010), the Federal Armed Forces Medal Counter Daesh (2017) and the U.S. Joint Service Commendation Medal (2017).
