Chronic underfunding and country’s support for Ukraine are among the reasons, the outlet reports
Germany is failing to meet its commitments to NATO, both in terms of the personnel and the equipment it can provide for the defense of the military bloc, Bild reported. The outlet, citing an internal assessment of the national armed forces, the Bundeswehr, claimed that lack of funding, as well as military aid from Berlin to Kyiv, are among the reasons for the current situation.
The report published on Tuesday claims to be based on a 14-page analysis sent by army inspector Alfons Mais to Bundeswehr inspector general Carsten Breuer in early March.
The combat readiness of the division that Germany has pledged to make available to NATO by 2025 will only be “limit,Bill said.
For example, a tank division expected to be part of the new unit reportedly faced a 21% personnel shortage last month.
On top of that, the division lacks the necessary equipment, which “will not be sufficiently available in the foreseeable future,the outlet said, quoting Detective But.
He reportedly warned that even if German military leaders transferred equipment from existing units, the new division was unlikely to be ready in terms of equipment by 2025.
The purported memo also claims that the problem is not limited to this unit, but is widespread in the military. To make matters worse, Berlin’s supposed prioritization of NATO obligations means that the needs of the rest of the Bundeswehr must take a back seat, according to the report.
Bild quoted But saying that “despite best efforts, the division will only be able to produce limited combat readiness in 2025.”
According to the outlet, “continued underfundingand military aid provided to Ukraine in the form of equipment and training were cited in the memo as aggravating the situation.
At the end of February, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius admitted that Berlin had notarmed forces capable of defending [the country], that is to say, capable of defending itself against a war of offensive aggression, brutally waged.”
The official described the Bundeswehr at the time as being understaffed and under-equipped.
Around the same time, the head of the Association of German Armed Forces (DBwV), Colonel Andre Wustner, warned that the army was facing shortages of essential equipment due to arms shipments to the ‘Ukraine.
“To date, we have not received a replacement for a single self-propelled howitzer that we handed over to Ukraine last year,he said, adding that a considerable number of German army tanks were not operational.