Years of austerity measures have weakened the Bundeswehr. She wants to make Pistorius fit to fight again with reform – but that will take time.
Berlin – The war in Ukraine has made it clear that the Bundeswehr has considerable need for improvement. It’s about government planes that couldn’t take off because of burst tires or failed communications systems. But also about tanks like the Puma model, which were completely canceled last year.
The Bundeswehr has concentrated on foreign missions for too long, is the accusation. Now it needs to be brought back into shape so that it can defend its own country and its allies. A huge challenge for Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD).
Pistorius’ reform of the Bundeswehr: These hurdles must be overcome
It is the first time in twelve years that the Bundeswehr will be consistently focused on protecting Germany and its allies. Pistorius has presented new defense policy guidelines for the first time since 2011. “We must be the backbone of deterrence and collective defense in Europe. “Our population, but also our partners in Europe, North America and the world, expect us to take on this responsibility,” said a document from Pistorius and Inspector General Carsten Breuer dpa reported. The Bundeswehr must “be ready for war in all areas,” it continued.
The troops must be organized in the way one would fight a battle, said the former military commissioner of the German Bundestag, Hans-Peter Bartels (SPD). t online. “It is no longer about manageable, tailor-made contingents of 1,000 or 5,000 soldiers, but about the operational capability of the entire Bundeswehr,” said the expert. In order to achieve Pistorius’ goals, qualified young talent is urgently needed. What would be needed is “fewer staffs and commands, more troops,” said Bartels.
More money for the restructuring of the Bundeswehr – equipment continues to shrink “unabated”
One factor that is repeatedly cited for the poor condition of the Bundeswehr is the austerity measures that have been implemented for years. Only with the special fund of 100 billion euros for the Bundeswehr, which was released in 2022, could the equipment deficiencies begin to be corrected. In order for the armed forces to continue to function, long-term financing beyond the special fund is important.
“It has been split up and shrunk disproportionately in recent years to save money. “Logistics, NBC, telecommunications and medical troops were outsourced to new organizational areas, and army air defense was completely abandoned,” explained Bartels. Part of the structural reform announced by Pistorius is to reverse this.
“The shrinking of the Bundeswehr [geht] “We are currently continuing unabated,” said Bartels. This is because the Bundeswehr is currently giving a lot to Ukraine – which is right, he added. Nevertheless, this is noticeable within the Bundeswehr, as new equipment and ammunition are delivered far too slowly. The waiting time is sometimes years. Pistorius will also need a lot of time for this mammoth task. (vk)
Machine assistance was used for this article written by the editorial team. The article was carefully checked by editor Lukas Rogalla before publication.
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