Crisis meeting on Puma failures: Lambrecht announces results
Created: 01/13/2023, 16:43
Armin Papperger (lr), CEO of Rheinmetall AG, Ralf Ketzel, CEO of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann KMW, Christine Lambrecht (SPD), Federal Minister of Defence, and Eberhard Zorn, Army General of the Bundeswehr and Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, make a statement to the press the breakdown of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle.
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa +++ dpa picture radio +++
At a crisis meeting, the reasons for the failure of 18 Puma tanks in December are to be analyzed.
Perhaps the responsibility lies within the army itself.
Update from January 13, 4:40 p.m .:
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) wants to hold on to the Puma infantry fighting vehicle after an extensive damage analysis of the breakdowns.
However, industry and the Bundeswehr have "homework" to do together, said Lambrecht in Berlin at a top meeting with the manufacturers.
It is also about the training of the soldiers.
"The troops would like to continue to hold on to the Puma," said Lambrecht.
Puma crisis summit: Defense Minister meets with representatives of the defense industry and the army
First report from January 13:
Berlin – Shortly before Christmas 2022 it became known that all 18 Puma armored personnel carriers deployed during a Bundeswehr exercise had failed due to technical problems.
On Friday (January 13), Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht will speak to representatives of the armaments industry about the consequences of the tank failures - and also wants to speak to the press.
An insider report from Bundeswehr circles, which is available to
Business Insider
, also sees some of the responsibility in the army itself.
Puma crisis summit: Insider report from Bundeswehr circles also sees guilt in the army
Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht in February 2022 on a ride in a GTK Boxer.
© IMAGO / Sven Eckelkamp
Representatives of the defense contractors Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall are expected to attend the meeting on Friday, as is the Inspector General of the German Armed Forces, Eberhard Zorn.
Shortly after the failure of all 18 deployed Puma infantry fighting vehicles in December, Defense Minister Lambrecht initially blamed the armaments industry.
But an internal report from circles in the Bundeswehr, which is available to
Business Insider
, now indicates that the army is also to blame.
According to this, Army Inspector Alfons Mais and the responsible division commander Ruprecht von Butler have now apparently admitted to errors.
For example, the "log books" of the vehicles were misread and maintenance times were not observed.
The personnel deployed did not have adequate training and the technicians on standby from the Rheinmetall armaments group and Heeresinstandsetzungslogistik (HIL) GmbH were not consulted even after the first failures of Puma tanks, according to the report.
The incident is also explosive because Germany took over the leadership of NATO's rapid deployment force at the turn of the year and the failed tanks were actually supposed to be used there.
New purchases of the model were initially put on hold.
The debacle could possibly also have personal consequences.
Apparently, demands for the dismissal of General von Butler or Army Inspector Mais are said to have been raised in the ministry, according to
Business
Insider
(AFP/dpa/bme)
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