Tax money sunk?

Weird fighter jet deal reflects badly on Lambrecht ministry

Created: 2022-12-14 05:01

Was the Department of Defense asleep?

Criticism has intensified due to the F-35 deal for the Bundeswehr.

The suspicion of a waste of taxpayers' money is growing.

Berlin/Bern - As a result of the Ukraine war, massive rearmament is being pushed ahead in numerous countries around the world.

Manufacturers of weapons systems and heavy equipment are seeing booming revenues in the face of the escalation between Russia and the West.

In Germany, too, the importance of military forces has increased significantly in recent months: taxpayers will pay ten billion euros for the complete package of 35 F-35 fighter jets alone, including purchase, service, maintenance and subsequent upgrades.

F-35 for the Bundeswehr: Fighter jets cost the state budget 286 million euros - each

In terms of cost, it may be difficult for laypersons to classify this, but a unit price of around 286 million euros for the innovative, latest-generation stealth jet shows that it is no bargain.

The Bundeswehr wants to replace the aging Tornado fleet with the expensive new acquisition.

In an emergency, the apparently defective F-35 from US manufacturer Lockheed-Martin can even transport atomic bombs (“nuclear sharing”).

The project is considered groundbreaking in order to meet the obligations within NATO. Under US President Donald Trump, the Federal Republic of Germany was already asked by the USA to increase the budget provided for this purpose.

However, the mega deal is controversial in Germany, and Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has recently received criticism due to various problems.

Now a bad light is falling on the deal again: Figures from Switzerland raise the suspicion that the Ministry of Defense has been ripped off by the United States: Because Germany's western neighbor is also buying F-35 fighter jets from the United States - namely for significantly less money.

Ministry of Defense: Has Germany been ripped off?

Because those responsible at the Swiss seat of government in Bern bought an almost identical package from the USA, but apparently on significantly more favorable terms: Switzerland paid around six billion francs for 36 machines, which converted to an amount of “only” 167 million per F-35 means euros.

Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has trouble explaining the mega deal with the F-35 fighter jets.

© Bernd Elmenthaler/Björn Trotsky/Imago

It shouldn't be difficult to “nail” the provider to an originally decided price.

writes

that the Swiss Ministry of Defense would insist that the US Embassy adhere to the agreed costs - this was then apparently confirmed by the seller.

In Germany, on the other hand, the originally estimated costs have recently increased significantly due to adjusted exchange rates and general inflation.

So the suspicion is growing that those responsible in Berlin are once again openly throwing German taxpayers' money out the window instead of dealing with the state budget in a nearly responsible manner.

But how is that possible and who slept?

Was one prepared to pay any price just to be able to prominently sell a "success" in terms of rearmament in the shadow of the tense geopolitical situation?

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Federal government and Defense Minister Lambrecht: expert with sharp criticism

The Federal Ministry of Defense undoubtedly plays a key role in purchasing the expensive F-35 fighter jets for the Bundeswehr, especially Department Head Christine Lambrecht (57/SPD).

Joachim Weber, an expert on security policy at the University of Bonn, asked

whether all the actors in political Berlin are still able to live up to the responsibility entrusted to them?

While the Swiss Viola Amherd and the responsible Ministry of Defense apparently skilfully negotiated with the USA, the Federal Republic of Germany was apparently being ripped off by the United States.

"It is clear that with the Ukraine war the demand for armaments has increased significantly - and with it the prices," the President of the Security Policy Commission of the Council of States told the portal.

Engine view of the F-35 fighter jet: The Bundeswehr - and thus the German taxpayer - costs a fortune to upgrade.

© IMAGO/Björn Trotsky

F-35 jets for the Bundeswehr: Little to no insight into fighter jet technology

In Switzerland itself, however, there are also relativizing assessments of the blatant price difference between Germany and Switzerland when buying the F-35 fighter jets: security politician Priska Seiler Graf from the social-democratic SP explains that she can hardly imagine that the USA would choose Germany of all places as a "closest ally" would make a much worse offer.

"German politics would go crazy and rightly so," she tells

.

According to her, Switzerland would buy its F-35 jets largely without armament, which would then be invoiced additionally later.

However, the calculation goes further:

, in turn, describes that the German Ministry of Defense, in contrast to Switzerland, has dispensed with "compensation orders", which will also benefit its own industry in the long term on the basis of counter-orders.

And unfortunately that wasn't it: Another major point of criticism is that the maintenance and upgrades of the fighter jets are exclusively carried out by American armaments companies - and the German armed forces would get little or no insight into the innovative technology of the F-35 jets .

In addition, according to

, "virtually all" operational information is forwarded to the United States, which makes the German Air Force transparent to its overseas ally.

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So you would remain totally dependent on the USA for many years, although the relationship is no longer under a lucky star due to the developments in 2022 and the cooled down economic situation.