The Defence Budget and Security Investment Section represents Germany’s interests in the NATO bodies responsible for the financial resources of the Alliance’s military arm. It provides Germany’s representative on the Resource Policy and Planning Board (RPPB), which is notably responsible for basic issues of the common-funded NATO budgets and programmes and for advising the North Atlantic Council on all financial matters pertaining to the military sphere at NATO. This includes recommending caps for the annual budget and drawing up Medium-Term Resource Plans for the subsequent four years.

The section also provides Germany’s representative on the Budget Committee (BC), where the NATO military budgets are prepared for adoption and implementation and subjected to scrutiny. The military budget, which is currently worth around 1.4 billion euros, funds the operating costs of NATO headquarters, agencies and other institutions as well as NATO missions. Finally, this section also attends the NATO Investment Committee (IC). The IC is responsible for the planning and implementation of the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP), for which NATO allies are currently providing around 700 million euros. In NATO member countries, the NSIP is used to make investments (in IT projects as well as building work) which are necessary and eligible for common funding under NATO regulations.

Germany contributes approximately 15% of the military budget and of the NSIP.