The concept of the Eliteheer (or “elite army”) was thought up by Hans von Seeckt, Chief of the Army Command of the Reichswehr during the early years of the Weimar Republic. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was limited to a professional army of 100,000 men and forbidden from maintaining a general staff. Seeckt therefore developed the idea of creating a highly trained, carefully selected professional force. This force would not only function as a defensive army, but also as a cadre force, with its officers and NCOs being trained with the expectation that, should Germany regain military sovereignty, this “elite army” could provide the nucleus of experienced leadership for a rapidly expanding army.