German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht has been criticised for moving too slowly in modernising the Bundeswehr, although the government has decided to allocate a special billion-dollar fund for the Bundeswehr. The German TV channel Das Erste says that soldiers are waiting longer for warm clothes than warm words from politicians – it is necessary to reform the procurement system itself, because now German authorities are losing the trust of foreign partners as well as their own military.
The planned modernisation of the Bundeswehr, according to critics, is not progressing fast enough. The Bundeswehr commissioner Högl called on Deutschlandfunk to reform the procurement system to equip the army – otherwise the funds from the billion-dollar special fund cannot be used quickly enough. The Bundeswehr currently has less material at its disposal than it did at the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine because much has been handed over to defend the attacked country.
In the run-up to Christmas, politicians often pay attention to all those who are particularly dear to them. The federal president and his wife visited the command centre in Potsdam in the morning and spoke to the members of the Bundeswehr involved in the foreign missions. The German chancellor met relatives of policemen and soldiers yesterday and paid tribute to them.
OLAF SCHOLZ, German Chancellor: I am very grateful to the men and women who are doing this and who, especially at this time, would of course like to be with their loved ones.
Now, however, the troops have to wait longer for warm words than for warm clothes. On St Nicholas Day, the Defence Minister gave an impression of the progress being made in equipping the armed forces with the personal equipment they have long needed. The tipping point, the much talked about commitment, is still rather poorly felt in the Bundeswehr, many military personnel complain.
ANDRE WUSTNER, Chairman of the Bundeswehr: I think this is also partly due to the Ministry of Defence, where they are still trying to make the Bundeswehr better with partly outdated practices. It won’t work that way.
For example, there is still a shortage of ammunition of all kinds – quite independently of the fact that the German government wants to bring the Bundeswehr to a super-modern state in the coming years with billions of dollars of investment, including in terms of large equipment.
EVA HOGLE, Bundeswehr commissioner in the Bundestag: It leads to a loss of confidence on the part of our allies, and what I find particularly worrying is that it leads to a loss of confidence on the part of our soldiers, because they of course also want to see that they too will gain something from this beginning of a new era.
Christine Lambrecht is not reforming the Bundeswehr fast enough, even though the political decisions to modernise the armed forces have been made for a long time, the opposition reproaches her.
RODERICH KIZEVETTER : The Defence Minister must insist more vigorously that what she demands in her speeches be implemented, including in her own ministry.
Too few serviceable armoured vehicles, empty ammunition depots, outdated aircraft – the shortages remain threatening. Parliament is due to give way on Wednesday to more funds for major arms projects.
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