ZDF report reveals blatant deficiencies in defense policy from the Merkel era - "Wait two decades"

Created: 2022-06-02 10:13 p.m

By: Patrick Mayer

The special fund for the Bundeswehr was decided as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Deficiencies in defense policy are becoming apparent.

Germany's Reactions to the War.

• Special assets

  for the

  Bundeswehr

  : German armed forces get 100 billion euros.

• German

  defense policy

  in the

  NATO alliance

  : failures of the Merkel federal government?

• This 

  news ticker

  on Germany's reactions to the Ukraine war 

  is updated regularly.

Munich/Berlin - The German Bundestag has decided on the much-discussed Bundeswehr special fund.

This is intended to provide the German armed forces with an additional 100 billion euros for equipment and rearmament in the coming years.

In response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

Figuratively speaking, the budget comes on top of the defense budget.

In 2021, this was already around 46.9 billion euros for the Bundeswehr.

“Taking these 100 billion into our hands means that we can now invest intensively in the Bundeswehr.

About all the skills she's lost in all the decades since the Wall came down.

It is a signal to the Bundeswehr, it is a signal to the people in this country that we are ready to rebuild a Bundeswehr that is modern and capable of fighting," said defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) to the " today journal” of the ZDF.

Special assets Bundeswehr: German armed forces get 100 billion euros

• 100 billion euros special fund: This is intended for the German armed forces

• Air Force: 40.8 billion euros

• Among other things, up to 35 F-35 fighter jets are to be purchased.

  The state-of-the-art stealth planes are intended to replace the outdated tornadoes.

  Only five billion euros are to flow into the procurement of 60 heavy transport helicopters of the CH-47F Chinook model.

• so-called leadership ability:

  20.7 billion euros

• For example, encrypted communication and digital radio fall under this.

  So far, the Bundeswehr soldiers have disturbed their alliance partners during NATO exercises with their outdated radios.

• Navy: 19.3 billion euros

• By 2032, the naval forces are expected to have 25 combat ships.

  In addition, new class 130 corvettes and class 126 frigates are to be added. The current six submarines are to be increased to eight.

• Army: 16.6 billion euros

• Most of the money is to go into retrofitting the modern Puma armored personnel carriers.

  Germany already has 350 copies, but according to the Federal Ministry of Defense only 150 are currently operational.

  Further armored personnel carriers are to be purchased in a second step.

• Clothing and equipment: 2 billion euros

• So far, some soldiers have been missing the simplest things, for example socks, boots and protective vests.

  Here, too, there is a clear need for improvement.

Can also transport other helicopters: The CH 47 Chinook, which the Bundeswehr is to receive.

© Nicolas Armer/dpa

What are the plans of the Federal Ministry of Defense?

For example, the CH-53 transport helicopter, which has been in service for 50 years, will be replaced by 60 heavy CH-47 Chinooks.

35 state-of-the-art F-35 stealth fighter jets are to be purchased - instead of the 40-year-old Tornados.

Bundeswehr in times of the Ukraine war: ZDF report reveals enormous shortcomings

The same ZDF report reveals - beyond the age of the previous device - glaring flaws in German defense policy.

“There are a lot of things on the list that the Bundeswehr has been putting off for years.

The replacement of the Tornados by the F-35 has been pending for years," explains defense expert Thomas Wiegold to the "heute journal": "A new heavy transport helicopter has been in the pipeline for two decades." There has been talk of defects for a long time.

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"For example, on paper we have 350 Puma infantry fighting vehicles, of which 150 are actually operational," Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) recently explained: "It is no different with the Tiger attack helicopter.

Out of 51 machines, only 9 can take off.” In this mixed situation, the focus is also on the former government of ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).

After all, Olaf Scholz's "traffic light" (SPD) has only been in office since December.

Before that, the Merkel cabinet was responsible for defense policy and the equipment of the Bundeswehr.

German defense policy in the NATO alliance: failures of the Merkel federal government?

The 

 recently wrote that the German government had "simply ignored NATO requirements for a long time".

According to NATO requirements, members of the transatlantic defense alliance must stock up ammunition for 30 days.

As the 

 reports, the Bundeswehr would only have ammunition for three days in the event of a crisis.