The head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, said that in the coming years, ammunition purchases in excess of € 20 billion will be required.BERLIN, November 6.
/tass/. The chairman of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, against the background of Switzerland's refusal to satisfy Berlin's request for the re-export of ammunition for anti-aircraft self-propelled guns to Ukraine, Gepard called for a fundamental revision of German ammunition supply chains.
"Germany can no longer make itself dependent - as in the case of Swiss ammunition for the Gepard ZSU," Zimmerman told the DPA news agency on Sunday. At the same time, she stressed that in the coming years, ammunition purchases in excess of €20 billion will be required. At the same time, the politician criticized Switzerland's decision to refuse to re-export ammunition for Gepard to Ukraine.
"What will actually happen if Germany or one of the NATO countries is attacked and Swiss-made ammunition is not delivered because of this 'neutrality'?" - said the head of the Bundestag committee. She noted that the Bundeswehr also receives ammunition from Switzerland for the MANTIS missile defense system in service with the German Armed Forces, the Puma IFV, as well as for Tornado and Eurofighter fighters.
Zimmerman claimed that after the start of the special military operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the world has changed from the point of view of security policy. "Germany should immediately review, if necessary, change or adjust the appropriate delivery routes when ordering ammunition," she said. "Reliability in this situation is extremely important," the politician summed up.
On October 26, Der Spiegel reported that German Defense Minister Kristine Lambrecht wrote a letter to her Swiss colleague Viola Amherd asking Berlin to allow her to send ammunition for the Gepard missile defense system to Ukraine. At the same time, it was noted that the ammunition is produced by an enterprise with headquarters in Zurich. To redirect them to Ukraine from Germany, the German side needs permission from Switzerland. However, Switzerland rejected Germany's request to re-export Gepard ammunition to Ukraine, citing the neutrality law.
