Digitization: Federal Audit Office sees need for action in the Bundeswehr

The German Federal Audit Office published a position paper on Tuesday, in which it calls on the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg) to use funds from the special fund and the suspended debt brake for defense spending responsibly. There is plenty of criticism in the paper, including in the area of digitalization.

The President of the German Federal Audit Office, Kay Scheller, is quoted in the press release as saying: “The security policy 'Whatever it takes' must not become an internal administrative 'Money doesn't matter'.” The phrase also appears several times in the full paper. Essentially, it is about the Bundeswehr focusing on its core mission and remembering its “duty to use financial resources effectively and responsibly”.

Criticism of administrative overhead and “unimportant” tasks

The Bundeswehr also performs tasks that are not related to its core mission – “The core mission of the Bundeswehr is national and alliance defense”. “The key areas here are armaments, infrastructure, operations, organization and personnel,” adds the Bundesrechnungshof. Compared to 2010, “the personnel body is significantly more top-heavy”. As a result, too many servicewomen and men are “tied up in administrative tasks within and outside the armed forces”. The Court of Audit explicitly mentions that the Bundeswehr administration “serves the tasks of personnel management and the direct coverage of the material requirements of the armed forces”.

The discussion since the provision of special assets has largely revolved around armaments and, if necessary, infrastructure. However, there is also a need for action in other areas. “In terms of organization and personnel, financial resources only help to a limited extent. Reforms to tasks, structures, and personnel are essential to achieve the goal of operational armed forces and an effective and efficient Bundeswehr administration.” The government's coalition agreement does not reveal any reform intentions or concrete statements in these areas.

The Bundesrechnungshof warns that “Section 14 should not be expanded to include 'non-defense' expenditure. This is expenditure that has no or possibly only an indirect connection to defense capability. For example, the main purpose of a highway bridge, even if military transports can roll over it, is not defense capability.”

Accusations of waste

The Court of Audit is not squeamish when it comes to allegations of waste. “Audit results from the Bundesrechnungshof show that the BMVg and the Bundeswehr sometimes fail to use financial resources in a targeted and economical manner. The published examples range from unsuccessful procurement and digitalization projects to management errors and avoidable additional expenditure in the millions for unused software licenses.” Experience has shown that if an organization has significantly more financial resources at its disposal in a short period of time, the risk of inefficiency increases. “The risk of inefficient action could be increased by the BMVg's stipulation that the time factor is now the top priority for procurement.”

In December 2024, the Bundesrechnungshof also criticized the Bundeswehr. The focus there was on the lack of (geo)redundancy at a “mission-critical” data center. A few days later, the BMVg announced that such redundancy was to be gradually created from 2026. The Federal Audit Office's reminders apparently did not go unheeded.

(dmk)