Entrance to the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support
Image: Frank Röth
For a long time, the authority in Koblenz was the epitome of bureaucracy and slowness. But now she has to deliver. A site visit.
Dhe Bundeswehr is to become the strongest European armed force with the best equipment. Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised that. Big words about a force that the army inspector said was “naked” when Russia invaded Ukraine. And that’s not all: In order for the desolate situation to change, it is precisely now that an authority is needed that is considered lame and impractical. Her name is “BAAINBw” – a typical Bundeswehr abbreviation that nobody understands. We therefore simply call it “the armaments office”. When this authority is mentioned, almost everyone who has anything to do with the Bundeswehr rolls their eyes. Former military commissioner Hans-Peter Bartels called it a “bureaucracy labyrinth”.
But sometimes an authority is routinely badmouthed and not even noticed that something is changing. Maybe that applies to the infamous “BAAINBw” as well. We visited it for two days last week. It wasn’t easy: it took various offices and ministry departments more than six months to approve the appointment. It’s easier to get into the Special Forces Command than the German armaments authority in Koblenz.