Hans-Peter Bartels, representative of the Bundestag for the Armed Forces, speaking with the annual report in parliament, said that the German army was experiencing serious difficulties with modernization. According to him, the Bundeswehr is suffering from problems with logistical support and excessive paperwork.

“The growing bureaucratization in all areas is increasingly restricting operational mobility. A clear implementation of the process has become more important than the goal of timely providing educated personnel with ready-to-use aircraft to participate in the actions, ”Bartels said.

First of all, the deputy focused on the huge personnel shortage in the army. The shortage of posts in various types and arms of the FRG troops is about 21 thousand people, while the total number of German armed forces is about 183 thousand people.

The shortage of personnel is most felt in aviation. For example, Bartels estimated the staffing of technical units of the Air Force in his report at 53%. A difficult situation has arisen in artillery, where the shortage of non-commissioned officers and sergeants reaches 30%, and in cyber troops (25%).

Every year, the Bundeswehr draws about 20 thousand troops into the army, but this number of contract soldiers is still not enough. In general, as the report says, lately there have been no dramatic improvements in the conditions of service of soldiers and officers.

One of the ways to solve the personnel problem of the Bundeswehr may be to attract specialists from other European countries. Already now, in the German army, according to Bartels, “there are many soldiers with migratory roots and dual citizenship.” However, Germany’s NATO allies have been restrained by such a possible recruitment from Berlin, fearing the diversion of specialists from their own armed forces.

Broom instead of a machine gun

According to the report of the authorized Bundestag for defense, the German army and the defense industry are deprived of the necessary components for the repair and modernization of military equipment. So, out of 284 Puma infantry fighting vehicles only a quarter is ready for operation.

As a result, as Bartels notes, soldiers are forced to use ordinary civilian vehicles in exercises. According to the newspaper Bild, in 2023 and 2024, the defense industry should fix only about 100 infantry fighting vehicles.

  • BMP Puma
  • © Bundeswehr

Illustrating the problems with the serviceability of armored vehicles in Germany, Bild recalled how, in a 2014 exercise in Norway, the crew of an armored personnel carrier GTK Boxer used a black-painted broomstick to simulate a machine gun that was missing from the machine.

The Bundeswehr Army Aviation is in unsatisfactory condition. Of the 53 attack helicopters of the Eurocopter Tiger, far from all are ready to use - so, of the shipped in 2018, a batch of seven helicopters, only two were suitable for operation. And in August last year, the German Ministry of Defense completely suspended the operation of these rotorcraft due to a possible defect of the fixing bolts.

The naval forces of Germany are in a difficult situation. Of the 15 required frigates on the move, only nine. At the same time, as the Deutsche Welle reported earlier, the new Baden-Wurttemberg (F125) frigates are not yet ready due to numerous malfunctions and lack of spare parts. Against this background, the Navy of the country may soon encounter an inability to continue participating in NATO and EU maritime missions.

Judging by the information of the German media, the army of Germany does not even have enough boots. In August, the Deutsche Welle newspaper published an article stating that the delivery of army shoes to the troops was delayed. At the time of the release of the material, the military received 160 thousand pairs of heavy boots and 31 thousand pairs of light shoes with a combined need of 366 thousand (each soldier is entitled to a pair of heavy and light shoes. - RT ).

According to Der Tagespiegel newspaper, the delivery of boots to the Bundeswehr was supposed to be completed by the end of 2020, but the country's Ministry of Defense moved the deadline to mid-2022. The official reason for the lack of new shoes is the limited production capabilities of the national industry. As a result, soldiers are forced to buy seasonal shoes at their own expense.

Poor logistical support has a negative effect on the combat effectiveness of German troops. In early August, Bild announced that 42% of the FRG’s flight personnel spend less time in the air than NATO regulations (180 hours a year). The reason for the lack of flight hours is the lack of an aircraft fleet.

In 2019, out of 86 Tornado fighters, no more than 30 were in normal technical condition. Moreover, some of the serviceable aircraft could not fly at night due to problems with the lighting of the cockpit.

Today, the Eurofighter is considered the most modern combat vehicle of the German Air Force, but the costs of manufacturing and operating this fighter were too high, Deutsche Welle explains in one of last year’s publications.

“Chained to the ground”

According to the report of Hans-Peter Bartels, the Bundeswehr is experiencing the same problems as several years ago, and without visible prospects for improvement. In this regard, the Commissioner for Armed Forces calls on the German Ministry of Defense for deep reforms in the management system, decentralization of the procurement policy and an increase in the military budget.

Experts believe that the data presented by Bartels reflect the real situation. In recent years, Germany has experienced a chronic shortage of military personnel and an acute shortage of spare parts. As a result, a significant part of the equipment is in malfunction.

  • German Air Force Fighter
  • © Bundeswehr

“This problem has long been known. Germany has a low coefficient of technical readiness. Of all modern helicopters, only one fifth can actually fly, the rest are chained to the ground in a malfunctioning state. Poor picture and armored vehicles. Germany constantly sets anti-records, ”Viktor Murakhovsky, editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, said in a conversation with RT.

The expert explains the unsatisfactory state of the Bundeswehr with errors of the German military leadership. According to him, the country's Ministry of Defense does not pay enough attention to rearmament issues, taking too much care of gender equality and ensuring minority rights in the troops.

From December 17, 2013 to July 17, 2019, Ursula von der Leyen worked as the Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany, now Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer occupies this post. Both politicians are in favor of increasing the personnel and command of the Bundeswehr. According to current plans, by 2025 the number of German aircraft should increase to 203 thousand people.

In November 2019, Kramp-Karrenbauer announced the need to expand Germany's military presence in the world.

According to various sources, today 3-4 thousand German troops are participating in foreign missions. They perform tasks in Kosovo, in the countries of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. As Bartels explained, "in 2031, Germany should be ready for collective defense in Europe and at the same time participate in dozens of foreign missions around the world."

In an interview with RT, Igor Maksimychev, leading researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that the ambitious plans of Berlin were not supported by sufficient financial, technical and human resources. In addition, as an expert said, German society is not yet ready for serious military-political changes.

“In Berlin, a course has been taken to increase military activity in the world, which requires an increase in the military budget. The point is that other world politics should notice the German flag and that the Bundeswehr will take leading positions among the European armies. However, such a policy conflicts with public opinion in Germany, where pacifist sentiments are strong, ”Maksimychev emphasized.