Rear Admiral Rainer Endres was born on May 30th, 1957 in Prim, a small town in Germany close to the border with Belgium and Luxembourg. He joined the Navy in 1977.
Having completed his officers education including a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering at the Armed Forces University in Munich, he served as Weapons and Operations Officer on board antisubmarine ships and later as Commanding Officer of FGS THETIS. From 1989 to 1992 he was appointed as Principle Warfare Officer on the Destroyer LUTJENS and later as Personal Assistant to Commander 1st Destroyer Squadron.
Rear Admiral Endres attended the 34th Admiral-Staff Course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College of the Bundeswehr in Hamburg. On completion of the course he served at the Federal Armed Forces Staff, Ministry of Defence Bonn, as Military Assistant to the Director Federal Armed Forces Operations Center.
In 1996 he was assigned Executive Officer of Destroyer ROMMEL which he then commanded from 1997. After his time in Command he took responsibility as Personnel Manager at the Naval Branch of the Armed Forces Personnel Office in Cologne.
In 2003 he attended the 102nd Senior Officers Course at the NATO Defence College in Rome and in September he assumed command of the 2nd Frigate Squadron based in Wilhelmshaven. From August 2005 Rear Admiral Endres was appointed to NATO HQ CC Mar Naples as Division Head N5/9, responsible for Policy, Plans & Concept, Military Cooperation and CIMIC.
He returned to the MOD in Bonn in June 2007 as Chief Navy Branch at the Personnel, Social Services and Central Affairs Directorate. Rear Admiral Endres assumed his position as Director Naval Development, Training and Education at the German Naval Office in Rostock in March 2010.
Rear Admiral Endres is married to Evelyn and they have two sons.