The admission of the German military official to the further deterioration of the situation of the army under the continuation of aid to Ukraine

According to the report of the international group Tasnim news agency quoting “Spiegel” weekly newspaper, Eva Hogel, Commissioner of the Armed Forces of the German Parliament, in a report called for a faster modernization of the German army and a rapid increase in the budget for the armed forces.

In her annual report Self for 2023, presented on Tuesday, drew criticism that the milestone announced by German Federal Chancellor Olaf Schultz for a dramatic increase in military funding has so far been rarely received by troops. Hogel writes in the 174-page report: I cannot help but notice that fundamental improvements in personnel, equipment and infrastructure have not yet been achieved in the second year of the new era.

Hogel report It can certainly be seen as an interim report to the Chancellor and his Defense Secretary. However, Hugel admitted in the report that important steps had been taken, for example to rapidly procure military equipment. However, at the same time “it will take time before the effects of these measures reach the soldiers.” has begun, he also criticized and said: the Minister of Defense had ordered that the sometimes endless administrative procedures for the purchase of new weapon systems be shortened, in addition, more systems than before will be purchased from the warehouses.
Hugel emphasized that still He does not see any positive effect from these corrective measures. He writes in his annual report: It remains to be seen whether these decisions will lead to less bureaucracy and simpler and faster procedures.

Hoogel in this report specifically addressed the dangerous and dire situation in many army barracks, citing his more than 130 visits to the troops and reported that The infrastructure in many places is abysmal, for example, he cited barracks with dilapidated rooms, moldy showers and clogged toilets.

The military official wrote: “For service It is quite shameful and totally inappropriate for our men and women to see the poor condition of the barracks in Germany, although there are plans to improve the situation, they are taking too long.

This military official emphasized that every day he receives dozens of messages from soldiers mentioning complaints. Hoogel also writes in his report that parents of soldiers write to him many times about the barracks, but Hoogel does not hold out much hope for a quick improvement.
Unfortunately, dilapidated barracks and service buildings are still in most cases, the report says. are true.

Deterioration of the equipment situation of the German army

in Hogel’s report It has been stated that especially the condition of the equipment of the German army is critical and dire. He writes in the list of duties of the Minister of Defense; When it comes to personnel, equipment and infrastructure, there is still “a lot of work to be done.” Despite speeding up procurement, the gaps are likely to be resolved only “in the medium term”.
Hogel wrote as an example of visiting German soldiers in Lithuania and their complaints about equipment.

According to Hogel, even NATO’s rapid reaction force, the Very High Readiness Task Force (VJTF), which Germany has reported to NATO as fully operational, is facing severe equipment shortages. The military commissar mentions the complaints of soldiers who are not equipped with long weapons and handguns. According to him, when it comes to night vision devices that are urgently needed for this important unit, the situation is similarly precarious. The commissioner of the armed forces warned that the Bundeswehr is still far from the goal of complete equipping, so this force will not be able to perform the task of national defense and alliance.

Admit The dire effects of aid to Ukraine on the German military

Hogel, in the final sections of his report, also explained the extent to which aid to Ukraine is putting pressure on the German military. According to this German military official, apart from the financial aid that is slowly being prepared for this country, training Ukrainian associations is a difficult task. According to him, more than 1,500 soldiers have been permanently stationed to train Ukrainians in 2023.
Hugel writes: Due to the maintenance of these personnel, the forces had to postpone, shorten or cancel their various training projects.
He demanded that such “displacement effects” should be compensated immediately.

The report of the military commissioner shows that Boris Pistorius, the German defense minister, is under pressure from several fronts. . Hogel detailed previous failed attempts to recruit more personnel for the military through advertising campaigns and simpler application methods. “Unfortunately, the expected success has not yet materialized,” Hogel summed up. The number of applicants continues to decrease and the dropout rate is high, especially in the first few months of training.

However, news There is a political message in this report, which is also pleasing to German Defense Minister Pistorius. Like the Ministry of Defense, the Military Commissariat wants a significant increase in the defense budget. He writes: From 2027 at the latest, when the special fund of 100 billion euros for the Bundeswehr runs out, the budget program of the Ministry of Defense must increase significantly. In this report, Hogel’s demand for more money for the German military is quite clear and emphasized is that after 2027 there should not be a budget shortage again.

German military forces are aging

According to the report of military commissar Eva Hügel, even in the second year of military rotation, there were no significant improvements in personnel, materiel and infrastructure in the German armed forces, moreover, according to their assessment, The German military is facing significant personnel problems. In his annual report for 2023, Hugel writes: The military continues to age and shrink. A number of forums have a lot of “staff vacancies”. Achieving the goal of increasing the number of soldiers from the current 181,000 soldiers to 203,000 soldiers by 2031 will be difficult. He helps the German parliament, but is also seen as an advocate for soldiers, who can turn to him at any time. Germany has also demanded extensive investment in the army.

He has demanded extensive investment due to the lack of combat readiness of the army. He appeared in the morning magazine A.R.D. He said: We have big problems in all branches of the armed forces, in terms of mission and position.
He said that not even one army brigade is ready for operations and demanded more investments.

Wöstner also said: “unfortunately” the special fund of 100 billion euros for the Bundessohr has not improved anything. Since 1990, several hundred billion euros have been saved. The focus was only on international crisis management, and now once again national and alliance defense is being considered. Westner said that the Bundeswehr is not ready for this.

He emphasized: Therefore, this year is a key year for the German army, for Germany, for Europe with the prospect of peace and freedom, especially with Looking at Ukraine.

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