Federal Ministry of Defence

The Federal Ministry of Defence assists the Federal Minister of Defence in fulfilling his responsibilities as a member of the Federal Government, as the head of the ministry and as commander in chief of the armed forces.

The Ministry of Defence is the central command and control instrument of the Minister of Defence in exercising her function as commander in chief of the armed forces in peacetime and as head of the defence administration.

Exterior view of the building complex of the Federal Ministry of Defence in Bonn — First official seat: Hardthöhe in Bonn.

The Ministry’s activities are guided by the constitutional principle of the primacy of politics. "Thinking and acting together" for joint success is the guiding principle of the members of the Federal Ministry of Defence and the standard to which they aspire.

The Ministry of Defence has two official seats, one in Bonn and one in Berlin. The division into two official seats is based on the "Law to Implement the Decision of the German Bundestag of 20 June 1991 on the Completion of German Unity (Berlin/Bonn Act)".

Entrance area of the Federal Ministry of Defence — After the decision to make Berlin the seat of government, the Bendlerblock was deliberately selected as the official seat in the capital.

In compliance with the stipulations of this act, it was decided to distribute the organisational elements over two official seats on the basis of the criteria of effective cooperation, proximity to the executive level and participation in the parliamentary and interministerial processes.