The lieutenant colonel and his salary – worth knowing about the earning potential as an officer

That’s how much a lieutenant colonel earns per month

Characterized by a silver oak leaf with two silver stars as a rank sign, the lieutenant colonel is the sixth-highest officer rank for a soldier in the Bundeswehr. Below him is the major, above him in the hierarchy is the colonel. An officer’s salary largely depends on his age.

• The rank of lieutenant colonel can be reached at the age of 25 at the earliest.
  If a soldier achieves this degree, he is credited with an income of 3587.22 euros per month, provided he falls under the standard salary class A14.
• If the lieutenant colonel is remunerated according to salary class A15, he is entitled to 4384.71 euros. To do this, he must be at least 33 years old and hold a prominent post.
• The monthly salary increases every 2 years until the age of 29 and every 3 years thereafter until it reaches its peak at the age of 53. In class A14 this corresponds to 4877.92 euros, in class A15 5507.95 euros.

The sixth-highest officers get that in addition to their salary

• A lieutenant colonel receives a family allowance of 116.82 euros if he has at least one child and is married, and 216.71 euros for all widowers. If there is more than one child in the family, the family supplement increases by EUR 99.89 for the second child to be taken into account and by EUR 311.25 from the third child to be taken into account.
• The soldiers receive additional money through the so-called foreign assignment surcharge (AVZ), depending on the operational area, which is divided into six different levels. This surcharge varies between 30 and 110 euros per day and depends on both the intensity of the exertion and the level of danger. Missions in Afghanistan are therefore currently remunerated at the maximum rate.
• The salary of a lieutenant colonel is also supplemented by various other supplements, such as diving or handling explosives and ammunition.

While the lieutenant colonel is responsible for the army and air force, those in charge of the same rank in the navy, the frigate captains and the senior medical officers in the medical service, receive the same remuneration. With this rather complicated salary system, the Bundeswehr is trying to balance the risk to soldiers and their salaries.