The bad situation of the German army in the shadow of the war in Ukraine

– International news – Tasnim news agency, the German “Focus” magazine in an article addressed the deterioration of the situation of the German army and the emptying of its weapons warehouses during the Ukraine war. He wrote: At the beginning of the Ukraine war, the German army was naked, and now it is even more naked.

This article continues: Boris Pistorius, the German Minister of Defense, should have led Germany into a new era. The Federal Republic of Germany must be able to defend itself in an emergency. A strong, ultra-modern and progressive Bundeswehr is the goal German Chancellor Olaf Schultz formulated on February 27, 2022 in what was probably his most powerful speech as chancellor to date. Russia’s attack on Ukraine had begun only three days before.

When “Schultz” appeared before the German parliament on February 27, he said: Considering the turning point that Putin’s war shows, Our criterion is this: what is necessary to ensure peace in Europe will be done. Germany will help in this matter. But according to him, it is clearly and unambiguously clear that stating this is not enough. Because for this, the German army needs new and strong capabilities.

Schultz said in his speech: “To achieve this goal, we will set up a special fund for the Bundeswehr.” Almost a month later, on March 16, 100 billion euros were approved for the fund. But since then there has been a lot of noise in the Ministry of Defense under the leadership of the Social Democratic Party.

Christian Lambrecht, the then German Minister of Defense in 2022 for a long time, including because of a controversial video on New Year’s Eve and doubts He was criticized for delivering weapons to Ukraine.

Then the opposition muttered that he was not the right person for the job. On January 17, 2023, Lambrecht finally resigned and Boris Pistorius, the Minister of the Interior of Lower Saxony, assumed responsibility for his replacement. He explained: Pistorius is a very experienced politician. The chancellor said: Pistorius is experienced in executive affairs, he has been involved in security policies for many years, he is competent and decisive and has a big heart, and he is exactly the right person to lead the Bundeswehr from this turning point.

Germany’s new defense minister quickly became the most popular politician in this country, not only by the citizens, but also by the parties, and there were many reactions to him. Some even see him as the next candidate of the Social Democratic Party for chancellor. The modernization of the German army with the help of a special fund of 100 billion euros had just begun when Pistorius took office; The problems were many: an inefficient administrative apparatus, a lack of equipment for the soldiers, shortages in several weapon systems, and problems in the procurement of equipment. He told Focus Online that even with Pistorius, Germany had not yet reached a “tipping point”. He made the criticism that the reason for that is the structures that are only arranged in terms of beauty and practically no great action has been taken in all areas. He emphasized: since Pistorius took office, to Especially the political leadership of the Bundeswehr has improved significantly. He was characterized by clear and reliable words and actions. He also assured that the reputation of the German army among the people and among the international partners has increased significantly. But there is still a lot of work to be done. According to Ralph Thiel, planning the desired personnel according to the birth rate and established recruitment procedures is unrealistic. He also said about the future plans of the German army: The German army does not have a clear strategy to deal with modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, satellites, drones, quantum technologies or cyber capabilities. The Bundeswehr is completely empty here, or its capabilities are acquired decades late.

He also said: The equipment and supplies organization is neither politically nor administratively capable of meeting the current and evolving needs of the army. is not. The latest reform efforts have not helped much to change this.”

According to this former army official, the current foreign policy also hinders exports and, as a result, the ability of the defense industry to supply the Bundeswehr with advanced technology in the required quantities. The prices are affordable. “Ralph Thiel” also said: “It is unacceptable that the Bundeswehr is in a worse situation than before when it comes to equipping itself with weapon systems and ammunition 22 months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.” It was empty at the beginning of the army’s attack, and today it is even more empty. So far, the special fund has had little effect on the defense capability of the forces. He said: If Germany or a NATO country is attacked, the equipment of the Bundeswehr will not be enough for a long time. The preparation period used to be three days and today it is more like a few hours..

Of course, the efforts of the Bundeswehr to provide equipment, vehicles and ammunition are currently underway. A look at the list of projects for 2023 shows this.

Carlo Massala, a military expert and professor at the Bundeswehr University, while referring to these efforts, said: In the end, there has been no turning point. Because there is no public awareness that we are facing a Russian empire that may not see an end to its ambitions in Ukraine. However, this prerequisite will be a real turning point.

Masala said: In addition, the structures of the Bundeswehr must also be reformed to become more operational, especially in the field of personnel recruitment. Because if the Bundeswehr does not manage to attract more personnel in the next few years, if it has modern equipment but no one who can manage it, it will not be of much use. Social Christian also told “Focus” magazine about this: “Despite the special assets, the German army is not able to defend itself.” The German army is in a worse condition than before the war. He emphasized: “The Minister of Defense started with the right speed and issues, but now everything is moving at a snail’s pace.” According to him, Pistorius said that Germany should prepare for war, but so far nothing new has happened and the defense minister has an implementation problem. Slow down. According to this political official in Germany, instead of increasing the production of weapons as quickly as possible, resources and warehouses were used to cover the most urgent needs of Ukraine. He added: “Now our stock has reached its lowest level and the German industry is still hesitant to receive orders.” Han says: “With the existence of a special fund, the government can’t even stabilize the operational readiness of the Bundeswehr.” Empty words instead of real policy. This means that valuable time is being wasted and the operational readiness of our military is deteriorating day by day.

Hahn also advocated the creation of a National Security Council and a National Security Strategy that would enable the Bundeswehr to control the country as well as carry out foreign defense missions. He says Germany needs conscription again. According to him, this also means that the necessary facilities must be expanded so that the army can grow.

end of message/