A significant shortage of personnel has been reported at the German Federal Ministry of Defence’s procurement agency, with over one in seven positions remaining unfilled. According to the agency, around 1,800 of the approximately 11,800 posts at the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and in-Service Support (BAAINBw) are currently vacant. The IT department is particularly affected, a spokesperson for the Koblenz-based agency confirmed.
The Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) parliamentary faction has called for a significant improvement in the agency’s personnel setup, particularly in the lead-up to upcoming procurement projects. “It is crucial to reduce the number of unfilled positions in Koblenz significantly” said Falko Droßmann, the SPD’s defence policy spokesperson, in an interview.
Despite the personnel shortage, the BAAINBw has so far not reported any impact on the multi-billion-euro procurement projects. “All projects have been managed and all intended contracts have been signed” said a spokesperson for the agency. The percentage of unfilled positions has consistently ranged between 13 and 19 percent since 2015.