The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces
Henning Otte was sworn in as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces on 5 June 2025. (© German Bundestag/Inga Haar)
Henning Otte, born on 27 October 1968, has been the German Bundestag’s Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces since 4 June 2025. From 2005 until 2025 he was a Member of the German Bundestag representing constituency 44 (Celle – Uelzen). Otte has been a member of the CDU since 1994, a member of the executive committee of the Lower Saxony Land branch of the CDU since 2014 and a member of the party’s federal executive since 2016. In 2023 he was appointed chairman of the CDU’s National Security Network.
Born in Lower Saxony, he trained as a reserve officer with the 333 tank battalion in Celle, completed training as a bank clerk with the Celle savings bank and studied law at Hamburg university. He follows Dr Eva Högl (SPD), who was the Bundestag’s Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces from 2020 to 2025.
Enshrined in the Basic Law
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces is appointed in line with Article 45b of Germany’s Basic Law to act as an auxiliary organ of the Bundestag in the exercise of parliamentary oversight of the armed forces. His core tasks also include safeguarding the basic rights of service personnel and the principles of Innere Führung (internal leadership and civic education).
The Commissioner documents his findings on the conditions within the Bundeswehr in an extensive report, presented annually to the German Bundestag.
Ombudsman institution for the armed forces
As both an advocate for service personnel and an auxiliary organ of the Bundestag in the exercise of parliamentary oversight of the armed forces, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces enjoys a special status within the parliamentary system. He is neither a Member of the Bundestag nor a civil servant.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces takes action at his own initiative or upon instructions from the Bundestag or the Defence Committee. In particular, he obtains his information in the course of field visits, whether these are arranged in advance or unannounced, as well as through personal discussions and submissions he receives from within the Bundeswehr.
Each member of the services has the option to contact the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces directly and without going through official channels:
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces
Platz der Republik 1
11011 Berlin
Tel.: +49 (0)30 227 38 100
Email: wehrbeauftragter@bundestag.de
Contact
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces
Henning Otte
Platz der Republik 1
11011 Berlin
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)30 227 38 100
IVBB hotline:
+49 (0)30 1818 38100
Email: wehrbeauftragter@bundestag.de