The Armed Forces Staff was thus at the same time a supreme military command authority and the top level ministerial staff organisation, authorised, mandated and competent to overall military defence planning, basics and concepts of military policy, planning of operational command and control, as well as to plans a policy of personnel education and training.

In 2012, there existed supreme military command authorities in the MOD as follows: Parts of these top-level staff authorities were merged in order to establish the new high command authorities of the German Bundeswehr as follow: In line to the new Bundeswehr command structure, the remaining staff elements were used on the MOD level to form: After World War II 1945 and in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement the establishment of autonomous German armed forces, including headquarters on general staff level, were forbidden.

This was the reason to establish the Armed Forces Staff as top level command organization in the MOD.

The Armed Forces Staff received tasks and orders direct from the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr.

In addition, it was within its responsibility to handle command and control specific affairs, related to the Armed forces basic.