Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)

Orientation & Geography

Europe, Germany, Bonn

The Federal Ministry of Defence (Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, 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. 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 253,430 active personnel. Article 115b decrees that in the state of defence, declared by the Bundestag with consent of the Bundesrat, the command passes to the Chancellor. The ministry currently has ca. 3,730 employees. Of these, 3,230 work in Bonn while ca. 500 work in the Bendlerblock building in Berlin.