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Since 2013, Lieutenant Colonel André Wüstner, 46, has been chairman of the German Armed Forces Association - and thus the interests of around 200,000 armed forces employees.
WORLD:
How do you actually measure the performance of an army, Mr. Wüstner?
André Wüstner:
The capabilities of the armed forces.
They are fed by the interplay of modern material and motivated staff.
Only with full material and personal strength, appropriate training and practice, armed forces are able to fulfill their mission - that is, they are ready for action.
That is the core, measured against the political mandate.
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WORLD:
So the Bundeswehr is approaching its top form materially?
The Ministry of Defense has just announced that the main weapon systems are 74 percent operational.
Wüstner:
Such reports irritate the troops and paint the wrong picture in society.
Because these 74 percent are based on absurd calculation models and have nothing to do with the everyday reality of the troops.
Whether in a naval flotilla, a division of the army or an air force squadron: everywhere men and women still manage the shortage, despite all the trend reversals that were declared politically many years ago.
Politicians have rightly recognized that the global risks and threats to our security require the Bundeswehr to be fully equipped.
But that's a maximum of 50 percent.
With some systems like helicopters or the old tornadoes it is worse because the situation is precarious.
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WORLD:
What does it mean for the motivation of soldiers if they lack their tools in their daily work?
Wüstner:
It means frustration - even if you make the best of the situation on site every day in an exemplary manner.
Take the brigade that Germany provides for the speedy NATO spearhead: In 2015, the comrades literally went into action with a broomstick;
From 2018 to 2020 they had to borrow their equipment from the whole group.
Ms. von der Leyen then promised that the next time, 2022 to 2024, a brigade would be capable of being in command and ready for action.
But it is already clear: the goal will not be achieved again.
And when the comrades then read that the weapon systems are 74 percent clear, this causes some disaffection or at least a loss of credibility in politics.
They raise the question of whether one is really interested in operational readiness - or whether the Bundeswehr, as the military historian Sönke Neitzel once wrote, is just a domestic political project.
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WORLD:
Germany has promised NATO three fully equipped army divisions for 2031, as well as air force and naval packages.
The government is already billions of euros behind its plan.
A reduction in entitlements seems almost inevitable, doesn't it?
Wüstner:
No.
The government, under the auspices of the Foreign Minister, decided on this goal for good reasons, as it is in all of our basic security policy documents.
And so it has been promised to NATO.
It would be a fatal signal in the direction of the partners and the new US administration if Germany were to make a break now and then and correct the German planning targets for the alliance downwards.
That undermines trust.
Kramp-Karrenbauer does not see European defense without the USA
In her keynote address, Kramp-Karrenbauer insists that there cannot be a European defense without US support.
Much depends on the future US President Joe Biden.
Source: WELT / Matthias Heinrich
WORLD: The
fact is, however: there will be a cash drop in 2022 with a view to the costs of the corona pandemic.
Wüstner:
But I warn against saving on security.
Internal and external security are the core tasks of state action.
Take a look around the world - you will not find a direction without a security risk for Germany and Europe.
It is therefore right for an alliance like NATO to invest more in defense capabilities and deterrence.
And that's why Germany, as the economically strongest country in Europe, must keep its promises, but at the same time position itself better than before in its own country, keyword cyber attacks or terrorism.
WORLD:
Every coalition agreement says that the Bundeswehr should receive the best possible equipment.
Can you still take this seriously when you look at the renewed refusal of the SPD to procure combat drones?
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Wüstner:
Eight years over five - I stress: five - drones with weapons were discussed.
That the SPD chairman Walter-Borjans is still not able to make decisions ... well, that speaks for itself.
In any case, I got extremely angry reactions, not so much from soldiers, but from their relatives: partners, fathers, mothers, family members.
In a letter to the association, it was said: This is the sad surrender of a once proud people's party to a loud minority who consciously communicated with false arguments.
I sign that.
And I go one step further: The SPD can only manage the balancing act between the best possible equipment for the protection of soldiers and the rejection of armed drones if it draws the conclusion: No more deployments.
Soldiers and their relatives see everything else as irresponsible.
WORLD:
A mission that will actually come to an end is Afghanistan.
Have the right lessons been learned from these 20 years of service?
Wüstner:
You can only learn lessons once you have thoroughly evaluated an assignment.
That has not happened so far.
I've described it as a kind of cowardice in politics.
Whether the illusions of feasibility at the beginning or the lack of coordination of the so-called networked approach, i.e. the cooperation between the German government departments: There is enough work to be done, even if a lot went well.
In particular soldiers who were wounded in action or who have lost comrades express an urgent wish to do so at last.
Political mistakes can happen.
Just make sure that the same mistakes are not made again in the Sahel region or elsewhere.
Because in missions this often means that soldiers lose their lives without having got a millimeter forward in terms of stabilization.
The basic message remains: soldiers only gain time - progress in the region is achieved through diplomacy in conjunction with development aid.
WORLD:
Arms procurement is still not going really smoothly.
Whether a new assault rifle, heavy transport helicopter or marine tanker: everything was canceled prematurely.
Why is that?
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Wüstner:
We have to self-critically question the organizational structure and procedures of the Bundeswehr in armaments and procurement - that's one thing.
I don't mean individual people in the procurement office, but rather the political framework.
The other is constant political influence.
Some armaments projects are not primarily about the rapid strengthening of the operational readiness of our armed forces, but about economic, industrial and European policy implications.
Sometimes politics starts a certain major project for reasons of labor market policy, sometimes a fighter aircraft of the future is to be developed as a symbol of European politics with France.
WORLD: Those
are also legitimate goals.
Wüstner:
I have nothing against such goals.
We only get problems if our readiness for action suffers in the coming years.
Politically motivated projects in particular, which are not in line with the prioritized military needs, tie up considerable funds for research and development.
This money is then missing for spare parts, ammunition, helmets or night vision devices.
The Ministry of Defense should clearly show Parliament the gap between political ambition on the one hand and the financial plan for the coming years on the other.
The trend reversal from the inflow of the device to the drain, i.e. age-related scrapping, has not yet been achieved.
The armed forces' need for rehabilitation is still brutal.
WORLD:
What can the Bundeswehr do itself?
The former defense commissioner Hans-Peter Bartels (SPD) proposed that the use of weapon systems should be separated from the Koblenz armaments office.
Useful?
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Wüstner:
Yes.
We have to adapt our dysfunctional structures so that leadership and responsibility are once again in one hand - and with it the responsibility for use.
I hope that Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer will take up this and similar impulses.
The legislative period is running out and there will no longer be enough for major reforms.
But the preliminary work has to be done: The minister should have proposals drawn up that can then be tackled in the coming legislative period.
WORLD:
The smallest Bundeswehr of all time has more organizational areas and staff than ever.
Don't you have to go there too?
Wüstner:
Yes, we need adjustments to the overall structure above the Bundeswehr troops.
The leadership ability of the holder of command and command is not geared towards the equal status of national and alliance defense as well as international crisis management cemented in the 2016 White Paper.
In my opinion, a more effective organization is needed, geared towards the four core dimensions of land, air, sea and cyber.
It is elementary to bring tasks, responsibilities and resources back together in order to enable the core principle of efficiency in the Bundeswehr: decentralized, independent management with mandate.
If this does not succeed in the next legislative period, we will lose effectiveness and the management culture will be irreparably damaged.
WORLD:
Do you have any signals as to whether Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) will accept this design assignment?
Wüstner:
The minister started with a first, really very good speech after she was sworn in.
Then she set security policy impulses and increased the social visibility of the troops, for example by traveling by train in uniform.
All good, especially when you see the dual burden of the ministry and party leadership.
But the core responsibility of a defense minister lies in the holistic readiness of the Bundeswehr.
Yes, this also has an organizational dimension.
Does she want to design and develop options for adaptation or just manage it?
At the end of the legislature, all of this will be measurable.
WORLD:
In the Corona crisis, the Bundeswehr is one of the few state bodies that functions perfectly.
A little consolation for you?
Wüstner:
You know, I see my job as a representative of the interests of the members of the Bundeswehr in such a way that I persistently point out the gap between political promises and reality, and regularly make suggestions for optimization.
However, that does not change the fact that the troops, despite insufficient operational readiness in national and alliance defense, are doing first-class work under the given circumstances - especially in international comparison.
I would like to say thank you, especially in these days between the years, to the people who are doing their service in the missions far away from home.
I think it would be good if we thought of them - and of all those who have not returned home in recent years.
And yes, in the pandemic a lot would not work without the armed forces.
Our administrative assistance saves lives.
I believe that unlike some ideologues in Parliament and elsewhere, the majority of this society is also very aware of this.
The Bundeswehr plays this role in the vaccination process
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, Bundeswehr soldiers have provided support in a wide variety of areas.
The Bundeswehr is now also to play an important role in distributing and guarding the vaccines.
Source: WORLD