$100 billion not enough to modernize armed forces: German MoD

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Jan 2023 23:24

The German military suffers from incompetence because of outdated technology which would be very expensive to revamp as well as falling short of manpower as the number of resignations spikes.

German soldiers stand at a Leopard tank during a visit of Governor Hendrick Wuest at the army base Field Marshal Rommel Barracks in Augustdorf, Germany, Wednesday, March 30, 2022 (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

According to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, a special defense fund of 100 billion euros ($108.5 billion) would not suffice for military modernization and equipment maintenance.

Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, had proposed back in June that a special fund of 100 billion euros be established to bolster the nation's defense capabilities. Both the federal council and the German parliament approved the proposal with a majority of votes.

"[A fund worth] 100 billion euros will not be enough. Every new system we get requires new maintenance costs," the minister told the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

It's worth noting that as Germany attempts to boost its military capacity following the war in Ukraine, several military personnel are refusing to serve.

The number of German military personnel refusing to serve in 2022 increased by about 500% year on year due to the situation in Ukraine, according to the German Federal Office of Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions.

German army incapable of carrying out NATO duties: Berlin

Earlier in December, a secret report prepared by the German Ministry of Defense and handed over to the Defense Committee in the Bundestag revealed that the country's military was suffering from a lack of arms, equipment, and operations.

The report said the German military could only sufficiently carry out its NATO duties only within a certain scope, as it is facing extreme hardship in fulfilling its commitments to the alliance.

The German navy would not even be able to send a ship to the UN mission off Lebanon's coasts, the report added.

The report rapped the financial situation and training within the German army, saying they were both in bad shape while clarifying that the heavy equipment and weapons they had were old and needed updating.

"There is a deficit in the munition and basic military equipment. There is not enough thermal underwear for the servicemen."