Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)

Federal Ministry of Defence
Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (BMVg)

Entrance to the Hardthöhe, Bonn
Agency overview
Formed19191/19552
JurisdictionCabinet of Germany
HeadquartersHardthöhe, Bonn, Germany
50°41′57″N 7°2′25″E / 50.69917°N 7.04028°E / 50.69917; 7.04028
Annual budget53 billion (2021)[1]
Minister responsible
Agency executives
Websitehttp://www.bmvg.de
Footnotes
1: As the Ministry of the Reichswehr, succeeding the Ministry of War of Prussia, the Ministry of War of Saxony, the Ministry of War of Bavaria, the Ministry of War of Württemberg and the Imperial Naval Office
2: As the Ministry of Defence (Bundesministerium für Verteidigung) in West Germany[3]

The Federal Ministry of Defence (German: Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsminɪsˌteːʁiʊm deːɐ̯ fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯dɪɡʊŋ] ), abbreviated BMVg, is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The ministry is headquartered at the Hardthöhe district in Bonn and has a second office in the Bendlerblock building in Berlin, which is occasionally used as a metonym to denote the entire Ministry.[4]

According to Article 65a of the German Constitution (Grundgesetz), the Federal Minister of Defence is Commander-in-chief of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, with around 265,019 active soldiers and civilians.[5] Article 115b decrees that in the state of defence, declared by the Bundestag with consent of the Bundesrat, the command in chief passes to the Chancellor.

The ministry currently has approximately 3,730 employees. Of these, 3,230 work in Bonn while around 500 work in the Bendlerblock building in Berlin.

  1. ^ "Bundeshaushalt". www.bundeshaushalt.de. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Bundesministerium der Verteidigung". www.bmvg.de. 2 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Bundesministerium der Verteidigung". www.bmvg.de. 2 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Lambrecht wählt das Ende mit Schrecken".
  5. ^ "Aktuelle Personalzahlen der Bundeswehr [Current personnel numbers of the Federal Defence]". July 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.