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There is no official evidence that the Bundeswehr has broadly or completely replaced Microsoft software. Germany’s military is pursuing a multi-cloud strategy that includes an open-source-based cloud and a planned air-gapped Google Cloud stack. Separately, it moved its logistics and administrative platform to SAP S/4HANA. Those developments do not establish a Microsoft Office replacement, and federal-government openDesk figures are not Bundeswehr deployment figures.
Is the German military really ditching Microsoft?
No. The official material available describes steps to diversify cloud infrastructure and modernize specific systems—not a completed, military-wide exit from Microsoft. In particular, it does not give a Bundeswehr count or schedule for replacing Microsoft office workstations.
The distinction matters because “software replacement” can mean very different things: changing an office suite, moving software to a different cloud host, replacing an administrative platform, or altering software embedded in military systems. The announcements discussed here concern different layers and should not be treated as interchangeable.
What software is the Bundeswehr changing?
Cloud infrastructure: a planned multi-cloud approach
In June 2025, Bundeswehr IT provider BWI announced a design with three cloud solutions: the Bundeswehr private cloud, Google Cloud Air-Gapped, and a cloud solution based on open-source software. The stated aims include reducing dependence on individual cloud providers, supporting interoperability, and matching a platform to the data and use case. This is a cloud strategy, not an announcement that Google or open-source software will replace Microsoft Office. Bundeswehr: BWI and Google partnership.
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The Google stack was announced as physically isolated and operated by BWI in its own data centers, with software updates delivered on physical media. BWI said integration would begin in 2026, with completion targeted by the end of 2027 alongside SAP BTP availability. These are announced plans and milestones; their completion is not established by the cited announcement.
Business systems: SASPF moved to SAP S/4HANA
The Bundeswehr reported in June 2026 that its central SASPF system landscape had fully moved to SAP S/4HANA. SASPF supports administrative and logistics work such as spare-parts ordering, payroll, and personnel processes. The Bundeswehr said about 90,000 of roughly 266,000 personnel use SAP software daily. This is a significant platform migration, but the source identifies SAP—not Microsoft—as the system involved. Bundeswehr: SASPF on SAP S/4HANA.
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Military systems: software changes do not equal an office-suite switch
The Bundeswehr’s discussion of software-defined defence concerns the ability to evolve software in military systems. Lieutenant General Michael Vetter, head of Innovation and Cyber at the Federal Ministry of Defence, said: “Dafür brauchen wir eine offene Architektur, die wir nur gemeinsam mit der Industrie entwickeln können. Proprietäre Lösungen dürfen der Vergangenheit angehören.” The same account contrasts long service lives for some military platforms with software development cycles measured in years, months, or weeks. These remarks address open architecture and military-system development; they are not a statement that Microsoft office products have been abandoned. Bundeswehr: Software-defined defence.
What is openDesk, and is the Bundeswehr using it?
openDesk is an open-source workplace suite being used in the German federal administration. A Bundestag report dated 27 April 2026 counted 8,756 licenses, of which 8,475 were in production. It also said openDesk was not being used exclusively to replace proprietary solutions and that the government could not reliably state how many Microsoft workstations had been replaced.
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Those figures concern federal administration, not a Bundeswehr-only rollout. The cited report does not establish the military’s openDesk deployment scope or schedule. It therefore cannot show whether, when, or how many Bundeswehr Microsoft seats might be replaced. German Bundestag: openDesk licenses in production.
Does a sovereign cloud mean Microsoft is gone?
No. Changing where or how a service is hosted is not necessarily the same as replacing the software provider. A separate Bundestag report said federal government use of on-premise Microsoft Office was nearly exclusive at the time of the underlying response. It described Delos Cloud as a possible way to obtain Microsoft services using Azure technology through a national operator; questions about sovereignty, information security, and classified information were still under review. A locally operated service using Microsoft technology would change the hosting arrangement, not by itself eliminate Microsoft software. German Bundestag: Delos Cloud.
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The federal government also said its Bundesclient does not rely on Microsoft Azure cloud services and set a goal of providing Bundesclient to 240,000 federal-administration workstations by 2032. That is a federal workplace plan, not evidence that the Bundeswehr has completed an equivalent migration. German Bundestag: software-license spending and Bundesclient.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to assess claims about military software replacement
Before interpreting a headline or procurement announcement, identify the layer of technology involved. A change in cloud hosting, for example, does not prove that the applications running there have changed. For military systems, the relevant questions also include whether a system can operate securely when disconnected and who controls its updates and maintenance.
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- System layer: Is the change about office and collaboration tools, cloud hosting, business software, operating systems, communications, or software embedded in weapons systems?
- Security and classification: What data can the system handle, and what security or classification requirements apply?
- Independent operation: Can it function without an external network, and who operates the infrastructure?
- Interoperability: Can it work with other systems and providers, or does it introduce a new dependency?
- Lifecycle support: Who maintains the software, supplies patches, and supports it over time?
- Migration burden: What training, data transfer, and operational disruption would a change require?
The Bundeswehr’s announced air-gapped cloud illustrates one approach to isolation; the SAP migration illustrates a business-platform change; and its software-defined-defence discussion emphasizes open architecture and evolving software. The available sources do not provide a head-to-head product evaluation or prove that any one of these developments amounts to a Microsoft office-suite replacement. For broader context on military software supply-chain risk, see the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik’s November 2025 analysis.
What the figures do—and do not—show
| Figure | What it describes | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| 8,756 openDesk licenses; 8,475 in production (27 April 2026) | Federal-administration openDesk licenses, according to the Bundestag. | A Bundeswehr deployment count or a reliable count of replaced Microsoft workstations. |
| About 90,000 of roughly 266,000 personnel (22 June 2026) | Bundeswehr personnel reported to use SAP software daily. | The number using Microsoft software or the number of Microsoft seats replaced. |
| €94 million in fiscal year 2025 | Software-license spending reported for the Federal Ministry of Defence. | Microsoft-only spending; the figure covers software licenses, not just Microsoft. |
| 240,000 workstations by 2032 | The federal government’s target for providing Bundesclient to federal-administration workstations. | A Bundeswehr rollout target or proof of a completed military transition. |
The license, spending, and Bundesclient figures come from the Bundestag’s April 2026 report on 2025 software-license expenditure and its openDesk report. The Bundestag explicitly said a reliable count of Microsoft workstations replaced was not available.
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