German defense ministry worried about buying US-made F-35 fighter jets
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An emergency meeting at the defense ministry is due to take place on Monday with budget committee members from the three parties in Germany’s ruling coalition attending.
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German defense minister Christine Lambrecht (Twitter)
Serious worry has been exhibited by Germany's Defense Ministry regarding the intended purchase of US-manufactured F-35 fighter jets as part of the country's military modernization campaign.
In light of the war in Ukraine, according to documents seen by AFP, Germany announced its plans in March to purchase 35 of the warplanes made by Lockheed Martin, but issues of "delays and additional costs" have become a concern as the purchase is about 10 billion euro ($10.5 billion), per a classified letter to parliament's budget committee.
Work needed at airfields intended to house the F-35s, in this case the Buechel air base, advancing security requirements, and potential problems with approving flight operations in Germany are risk factors they are considering as a defense ministry spokesperson stated "close cooperation" and "clarification" of issues with parliament is being relayed.
On Monday, an emergency meeting at the defense ministry is due to take place and budget committee members from the three parties in Germany’s ruling coalition will be in attendance, which is supposed to release the first batch of funds for the project on December 14.
According to AFP, the document was handled by the finance ministry, based on assessments from the defense ministry, but there is concern about whether upgrading the Buechel air base can be done by 2026 - the target time.
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These risk factors imply that flights could only be operated with restrictions, cost increases could exacerbate inflation, production costs could skyrocket and the exchange rate between the dollar and the euro could fluctuate.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed his willingness last week to go through the contract for the F-35s, considered the world's most modern combat aircraft, and wants the deal finalized before the end of 2022.
A Washington Post poll revealed on November 26, Germans' deep cultural aversion to military intervention in Ukraine, and the newspaper considered that "Russia – in its attempt to use energy as a weapon – has reduced gas supplies to Europe. As a result, prices have soared to ten times their previous levels and supplies are simply running out."
"Not surprisingly, many look to Germany – the EU’s largest economy – as the test case for continued European commitment to Ukraine," it added.
The newspaper concluded from the polls that energy prices are not the main issue. It turns out, as other polls have found, that while the Germans support Ukraine's fight against the war, they believe that "Germany has already done enough."
