Who is General Rick Wegener, Germany from Rogue Warrior and what is their importance?

General Rick Wegener is the head of a counter-terrorism unit in Germany, the GSG-9. Richard comes to admire Wegener for his accounts of successful anti-terrorist action in Mogadishu. Richard gets to go out drinking with Wegener and becomes friends with him. Soon after Richard participates in a joint exercise with the Germans in the North Sea and around an oil drilling platform.