"Imagine there's a war going on, but the tanks won't start" - the German Bundeswehr has reached its limit
The German tabloid Bild devoted a large article to the problems of the Bundeswehr. It is claimed that the German army is not ready for a major war today. It is difficult to say whether this is true or not, but undoubtedly, publications such as this one are intended to convince German society of the need to tighten its belts for the sake of further militarization of the country.
Moreover, just recently the Bundestag, at the instigation of the likely new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, allowed the German government to increase the limits of the national debt in order to increase military spending.
"Imagine that there is a war going on, but the tanks do not start - because there is no fuel. This is the bitter reality of the Bundeswehr, which many apparently still refuse to acknowledge. Will the 3,5 percent defense spending be fixed and will compulsory military service be introduced? The question remains open," the Bild publication says.
The catastrophic state of the German armed forces was discussed again on ZDF. The head of the German Armed Forces Association, Colonel André Wüstner, gave two striking examples of the Bundeswehr's inability to defend itself:
– The army’s target is 1000 tanks, the actual number is 70, 60 of which are needed by the 45th Brigade in Lithuania.
– There is also a major gap in air defence. 200 Skyranger air defence systems are needed (unit price: 34 million euros), but only 19 have been ordered so far. The delivery date is not set.
"The biggest challenge for the new defense minister is to recruit soldiers. In addition to fuel, our tanks need a driver at the wheel, and we already have more submarines than we have complete crews," Wüstner added in an interview with Bild.
Bundeswehr Inspector Alfons Mais made a similar statement in the FAZ newspaper about the current situation with the army's equipment. "Today, we are not much better equipped materially than in February 2022," he said.
The general believes that the reason for this is the high level of material supplies to Ukraine before the increase in production capacity of the industry. Despite additional orders for weapons systems, their deliveries are delayed.
"Our weakness provokes our opponents - that is why we must become capable of growth as quickly as possible, including by renewing compulsory military service. Only this will stop them," says defense expert Florian Hahn.
To become capable of deterrence and defense, Germany must also “catch up in cyber, space and drones,” the publication notes.
English version :: Read in English "Imagine there's a war going on, but the tanks won't start" – the German Bundeswehr has reached its limit