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Leopard tanks used in exercises by the Bundeswehr: how long does the ammunition last?
Photo: Philipp Schulze / dpa
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has called on the industry to ramp up the production of armaments for the Bundeswehr more quickly.
After Chancellor Olaf Scholz's (SPD) speech on the turning of the tide on February 24, he would have expected the industry to "rebuild at great speed" previously reduced capacities, Klingbeil told ARD on Sunday evening.
However, this did not happen.
After the Russian attack on Ukraine, Scholz announced massive investments in the Bundeswehr in his speech, financed in part by the 100 billion euro special fund that had been set up since then.
Nevertheless, the Bundeswehr continues to suffer from a massive lack of ammunition and equipment.
Union faction Vice Wadephul accuses Defense Minister of "unbelievable failure".
When asked about the current stock of ammunition, the federal government refers to the secrecy.
According to earlier information, depending on the intensity of a battle, it should only be enough for a few days.
Union parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul has therefore blamed Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) for inaction in the procurement of ammunition.
“No army in the world is operational without sufficient ammunition.
It is therefore an incredible failure that Minister Lambrecht has so far apparently done nothing to end the Bundeswehr's ammunition crisis," Wadephul told the dpa news agency.
Klingbeil, on the other hand, saw hesitancy on the part of industry as a reason for the lack of ammunition and equipment.
"Waiting and saying, first let's see what politics offers us, that's not an attitude with which we will now successfully reduce these deficits," he told ARD.
He promised to quickly tackle backlogs in the equipment of the armed forces.
"It's been ordered, it's on the way, as the Bundeswehr says, and there will be a lot of things by the end of the year," he assures.
This Monday there is to be a high-level discussion with industry in the Federal Chancellery on the subject of armaments.
muk/AFP/dpa
