MUST READ ARTICLE IN DER SPIEGEL ON TEH CATASTROPHIC STATE OF THE GERMANY ARMY N EVERY AREA
https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/the-bad-news-bundeswehr-an-examination-of-the-truly-dire-state-of-germany-s-military-a-df92eaaf-e3f9-464d-99a3-ef0c27dcc797
MAY HAVE JUST A FEW DOZEN OUT OF DATE LEOPARD TANKS LEFT CAPABLE OF OPERATING FOR EXAMPLE
EXCERPTS
An Examination of the Truly Dire State of Germany's Military
Last February, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the country was going to invest substantially in its military. But not much has happened since then. And now Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has been replaced. DER SPIEGEL takes a closer look at what is ailing the Bundeswehr.
By Matthias Gebauer und Konstantin von Hammerstein
17.01.2023, 12.48 Uhr
But the minister left one tiny detail unmentioned. Almost everything presented to her on this Saint Nicholas Day in Simmern was not ordered by her, but by her predecessor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. The goods from her own 2.4-billion-euro request, a handful of exceptions aside, won’t be arriving for several months yet, or even years.
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Never mind the fact that the new helmets have been delayed because the producer is having trouble with its helmet presses. But she decides to let that detail go unmentioned.
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One example: The commander of the 10th Tank Division reported to his superiors that during an exercise with 18 Puma infantry fighting vehicles, all 18 of them broke down. It was a worrisome incident given that the ultra-modern weapons systems are a key component of the NATO rapid-reaction force. There is a lack of munitions and equipment – and arms deliveries to Ukraine have only worsened the situation. "The cupboards are almost bare," said Alfons Mais, inspector general of the German army, at the beginning of the war. André Wüstner, head of the German Bundeswehr Association, seconds him: "We continue to be in free fall."
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The Bundeswehr has for years suffered from a shortage of artillery, a problem made worse by arms deliveries to Ukraine. It will take several years for this deficit to be eliminated.
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The Battle Group’s leadership capabilities "in association with our multinational partners are limited, primarily due to the lack of modern and interoperable radio equipment."
In other words, Germany’s military continues to be reliant on analog radios, communications that can be easily intercepted, for one. For another, they are incompatible with the modern devices used by soldiers from the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Norway, all of whom are part of the unit Germany leads.
The situation is no better when it comes to those units that have been committed to NATO, though not yet called upon, for specific tasks – such as the NATO rapid reaction force.
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The problems start with transportation, a key capability given that, in an emergency, troop units must be quickly relocated. The fact that the Bundeswehr lacks logistics capabilities has been clear for some time, but the alternative looks no better. "Relying on civilian support when it comes to container transportation is not currently possible," the report notes, because "no offer from a commercial service provider" has been received.
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Because important IT projects, such as mobile computing centers and IT units, have run into delays, the report notes, the military’s leadership ability can only be guaranteed by falling back on "old systems." In doing so, however, only "minimal demands" are fulfilled. The report also notes that the Bundeswehr exhibits "severe capability deficits" in air defense, the air force lacks armaments for its warplanes, and anti-aircraft units lack guided missiles.
"Operational readiness to fulfill duties currently assigned is assured, with some limitations."
Eberhard Zorn, inspector general of the Bundeswehr
The navy has insufficient stocks of reserve and replacement parts, while the medical services "are not able to muster sufficient supplies of bandages and medications for military operations," due to delivery bottlenecks from suppliers. The Bundeswehr, in other words, doesn’t even have enough Band-aids.
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To avoid any misunderstanding, the inspector general’s report does not address the state of the Bundeswehr in its entirety. It only refers to the over 20,000 men and women who are currently committed to missions and reserve units for NATO, the European Union and the United Nations. The report’s concluding verdict only applies to that group: "Operational readiness to fulfill duties currently assigned is assured, with some limitations."
How, then, must things look for the rest of the German military? For the 163,000 soldiers who are not currently assigned to a specific mission? There is no comparable report for this group, but there are plenty of indications – such as the operational readiness of the military’s most important weapons systems. Precise numbers are classified, but when it comes to the Bundeswehr, not much actually remains secret.
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Of the various helicopter models belonging to the navy, just 30 percent at most were available in mid-November, as were a third of the military’s ancient Tornado fighter jets and just over half of its Marder infantry fighting vehicles. Only half of the CH-53 heavy transport helicopters, also ancient, are operational. Just a shade more than half of the Bundeswehr’s Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled guns are available, two thirds of its frigates and half of its submarines.
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For example, the books show that the Bundeswehr possesses more than 300 Leopard 2 battle tanks. Around two-thirds of them are "available," but of that number, just 60 percent – around 130 – are operational.
Because functional weapons systems tend to be prioritized for operational commitments, it’s not hard to guess at how bleak the situation must be for the vast remainder of the military. The inspector general’s report hints in that direction.
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In particular, the lack of necessary material (for example modern heavy equipment, command and control equipment, munitions and replacement parts) must be addressed." Weapons deliveries to Ukraine have also left their mark. "In addition to the delivery of heavy equipment, the continual outward flow of replacement parts and munitions has reached a relevant magnitude."
And pressure is rising. Germany has committed to making 30,000 men and women available to NATO by 2025, and not just for a limited time, but permanently. And that number is set to rise in 2026. That, though, presupposes that they are fully equipped, the report notes, because units that are fully equipped and staffed are immediately available. "The ability to react quickly is key to the alliance’s credible deterrence," the report notes.
The Money
To become fully equipped, of course, the military is going to need quite a bit of money. The 100 billion euros from the special fund won’t be enough. For the Bundeswehr’s "capability profile" – which is still in effect despite being four years old – to be fully implemented, three times as much money would be necessary.
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De Maizière abolished both staffs. Since then, the Defense Ministry has effectively been incapable of leadership. Germany is likely the only country in the world with a military that isn’t led by a general staff or a comparable military body. Should a crisis arise, officials would first have to call around to determine who was going to take charge.
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Among de Maizière's legacies are the Bundeswehr's three monster agencies: one for personnel, one for procurement and one for infrastructure, environmental protection and services. Taken together, many thousands of civil servants and soldiers there are busy harassing the troops with a tightly meshed network of absurd regulations.
The Defense Ministry in Berlin
Bild vergrößern
The Defense Ministry in Berlin Foto: Roland Halbe
The grain-size for sand in shooting ranges is specified, for example, while limits for the exposure to gunshot gas in the combat compartment of infantry fighting vehicles are bickered over so that the threat of "amniotic fluid damage to the female Puma crew" can be strictly ruled out.
Regulators require that gangways on new warships must be as wide as those on civilian ships. Now, you can walk past each other with "two walkers without any problems," as one naval officer scoffs. Meanwhile, though, the Bundeswehr is no more combat ready than it used to be. On the contrary.
The armed forces have lost their core competence over the years as they have become completely bureaucratized: combat. Within the administration, combat isn't even a relevant category – except, that is, when it comes to dealing with the next closest department.
The administration thinks in terms of processes, not results. The most important thing is that decisions be made in accordance with the rules. Every civil servant knows that mistakes can slow down a career and that a project well done doesn't necessarily guarantee further advancement. Instead, risks are eliminated to the degree possible. And time plays no role in the equation.
This combination of regulatory frenzy coupled with risk aversion is stifling the Bundeswehr. Systematically, responsibility has been shifted from the bottom up to anonymous large-scale authorities. In the past, it was up to a battalion to decide who would be promoted to lance corporal. Today it is the Personnel Office of the Bundeswehr that makes that decision.
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