This research project systematically records, structures, and analyses the institutional and organisational foundations of federal coordination and civil-military cooperation in the field of total defence. It focuses on the question of which actors perform which tasks, how horizontal and vertical coordination works, and where cooperation is successful or encounters problems.
To this end, both horizontal (cross-departmental and cross-state) and vertical (federal–state–local) structures are examined. In a first step, normative foundations, formal task allocations, and organisational relationships are documented. Building on this, typical decision-making, communication, and coordination processes are analysed in order to identify functioning mechanisms and potential interface problems.
The study is based on document analyses and expert interviews. The project aims to conduct an empirical mapping of relevant structures and interfaces and to develop a dataset that maps actors, tasks, and coordination relationships across the overall defence.
Project management:
Prof. Dr. Florian Grotz and Prof. Dr. Sylvia Veit
Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg/University of the Federal Armed Forces (HSU/UniBw H)
Staff:
Dr. Sarah Cardaun, Léon Trothe, Christina Stremming
Funding:
Federal Ministry of Defense, BMVg
Duration: 1.11.2025 – 31.10.2026
Letzte Änderung: 21. November 2025