An Examination of the Truly Dire State of Germany's Military
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
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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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In December, Inspector General Eberhard Zorn delivered his most recent report. The 24 pages are full of traffic light symbols indicating for the first time not just the military’s material situation, but also whether there are sufficient numbers of fully trained soldiers available to fulfill specific missions.
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Next on the list is the NATO battle group in Lithuania, which has been boosted to over 1,000 soldiers for the foreseeable future in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For personnel, the traffic light is green, as is the case for training and leadership. But when it comes to equipment, it’s yellow. According to the accompanying explanation, the army is currently unable to send artillery units to Lithuania. 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.
Anti-aircraft defense is likewise deficient due to parallel commitments to the NATO rapid reaction force. "After the cessation of the multinational contribution, this will lead to a qualified shortage of corresponding organic capabilities starting in quarter I of 2023," the report reads, in a fine example of military bureaucratese.
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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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.
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.
The numbers are confusing because the Bundeswehr doesn’t measure the operational readiness of various weapons systems relative to the numbers it has on its books, but relative to the "available inventory." That number is always much lower given that a significant number of vehicles and weapons systems are, at any given time, undergoing refurbishment. 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.
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Divisions, brigades and battalions remained in existence on paper, but they were equipped with only a fraction of the necessary materiel, which in turn became increasingly obsolete due to budgetary constraints. The units that were scheduled for deployment had to scrounge up equipment from the entire Bundeswehr. "Width before depth" was the new motto, and the shuffling back and forth of the few tanks and howitzers was celebrated as "dynamic availability management."
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by Nektivni Ugnelj Mon Jan 23, 2023 11:52 pm
nelogicnost kako patrijarhu nije narocito stalo do tomosa (tj. sprecavanja da otpadnici od njegove crkve dobiju isti), kao ni da ukrajinskom vodjstvu nije narocito stalo do Ukrajinaca i da se tamo politika vodi u bokanovsko-seseljevskom stilu, od strane u najmanju ruku simpatizera nacista (ovde umetnuti sliku glavnokomandujuceg djenerala Zaluznog sa Banderinim portretom).
