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The German army is apparently struggling with equipment deficits – although the budget committee actually wanted to fill the gaps as quickly as possible. Pistorius must now admit to mistakes.
Berlin – Boris Pistorius (SPD) had to admit to the Budget Committee serious problems in the armed forces According to a report, active soldiers continue to lack personal equipment and clothing – the targets set for 2023 were missed. The shortfall is likely to mean a new construction site for the Federal Minister of Defense in the midst of the budget debacle.
At the end of 2021, the Budget Committee decided to To advance the full equipment of the BundeswehrThe goal: By 2025, all active soldiers should receive new personal equipment and clothing, including modernized vests, helmets and backpacks. The full equipment should be accelerated due to the Ukraine war in order to increase the Bundeswehr’s defense and alliance capabilities. Pistorius had repeatedly stressed how important a future-proof Bundeswehr is at present. But as a report published by the PICTURE It now appears that there were some glitches in the procurement of the equipment.
Pistorius has to admit mistakes to budget committee: Bundeswehr still lacks equipment
Every six months, the Ministry of Defense must report on the status of orders for Bundeswehr equipment. The latest report shows that the purchasing targets for 2023 were missed by a significant margin. As Pistorius now had to admit before the Budget Committee, not every soldier will have a helmet and a protective vest. As the PICTURE reported that of the 105,000 ballistic protection and carrying equipment systems ordered, only 81,000 arrived. There were apparently bottlenecks at the supplier due to illness.
Fully equipped Bundeswehr by 2025? Pistorius seems optimistic
Because the Bundeswehr’s supplier went bankrupt, Pistorius’ ministry also missed the targets for combat clothing. 72,200 sets of clothing were planned for 2023, but only around 81 percent reached the Bundeswehr. The situation is similar with outdated backpacks for soldiers and new helmets. In these two cases, too, Pistorius had to admit to delays. Other Pistorius to be completely eliminated from Bundeswehr projects have.
Despite the missed targets in 2023, the Minister of Defense is said to be positive about the overall goal of full equipment. Everything that was not delivered or ordered last year is now to arrive in 2024. IPPEN.MEDIA has asked the Ministry of Defence for a statement, but has not received a response at the time of publication.
Defense budget debacle: Union expert stands behind Pistorius
For Pistorius, the mishaps before the Bundestag’s budget committee come at a time when the SPD politician is fighting for a higher defense budget in the traffic light coalition. In recent weeks, Pistorius has repeatedly stressed that the debt brake must not stand in the way of necessary security spending. He is said to have called for 6.7 billion euros more for defense in the 2025 federal budget. Christian Lindner initially rejected this demand.
A Union defense expert, however, backed the defense minister and said: “I expect that Federal Minister Pistorius, who seems to be the only one in this government to have recognized the urgency of the situation, will finally get the funds for the Bundeswehr that it needs more urgently than ever.” (dpa/nbe)
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