Commissioner Hoegl: the Bundeswehr was not fully operational
The combat capability of the German army is in doubt, writes the FT, citing the words of the commissioner in charge of the Bundeswehr. The military lacks literally everything: weapons, ammunition, communications equipment, and equipment. In the matter of personnel, the situation is no less catastrophic.
Sam Jones
Radio stations do not pick up Allied broadcasts; medical records exist only on paper and are sent by regular mail; military documents are faxed, not by secure e-mail.
The digital and communication systems of the German armed forces are in a deplorable state, Commissioner Eva Hoegl, who oversees the Bundeswehr, warned on Tuesday. Her comments came just a week after the leak of telephone conversations involving the German military embarrassed the country's command and plunged the Scholz government into new political chaos.
“This needs to be changed urgently, and as soon as possible," said Hoegl, an independent official appointed by the German parliament, when presenting her report. — How did we end up in this position? Because in the past, investments were insufficient. But now we've realized the seriousness of it.”
Hoegl warned about the “gigantic” investment problem that the German military still faces, although Scholz two years ago proclaimed the Zeitenwende, a turning point in German security policy after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine in 2022.
“The Bundeswehr is under enormous pressure,” Hoegl said, listing a whole list of problems that have accumulated after years of underfunding: from “dilapidated” and “mold—covered” barracks to a shortage of personnel, potentially catastrophic.
Perhaps the most egregious in the entire 175-page report turned out to be the digital problems of the German army: there is no wireless Internet in barracks and training centers, and in some cases soldiers even have to pay for it. At NATO exercises last year, the military had to use unencrypted radio equipment from the 1980s, which did not catch allied transmissions. Medical records are still kept exclusively on paper, which raises the question of how soon doctors treating the seriously wounded on the battlefield will have access to them in the event of a real war.
This year, for the first time since the end of the cold War, Germany achieved the goal set by NATO and brought defense spending to 2% of GDP thanks to a huge special fund of 100 billion euros created by the Scholz government specifically for long overdue injections with an eye to military reform.
The first shoots have already appeared, although a significant part of the funds has been allocated for long-term procurement projects.
However, since the fund will be exhausted by 2027, military experts are increasingly wondering what will happen next, and note the huge personnel shortage in the German armed forces.
“It will still take a lot of money to bring the Bundeswehr to full combat readiness," Hoegl said. ”There is still a shortage of everything in the Bundeswehr: there is not enough ammunition, spare parts, radio stations, tanks, ships and airplanes."
Last year, the Commissioner visited 90 military bases throughout Germany and abroad and collected testimony from almost 4,000 military personnel.
In addition to problems with digital technologies and communications, the commissioner named recruitment and infrastructure as the main problems of the Bundeswehr.
“As for the personnel, I don't have any good news,” she said, noting that the German armed forces shrank last year, although they urgently need growth.
As of the end of 2023, the country's armed forces number only 181,000 troops. Twenty thousand vacancies are empty, Hegle said.
In addition, the personnel problem is aggravated by the dilapidated infrastructure, which undermines combat readiness, she continued, noting that most bases are extremely unattractive to live in.
According to her, in both cases, money is only part of the problem. It often comes down to the notorious German military bureaucracy and the “stagnation" of the system. In particular, at least 50 billion euros must be spent on infrastructure modernization within the framework of 7,000 individual projects, but the current military bureaucracy is only able to process projects totaling 1.3 billion euros per year.
Hoegl praised the investments that have finally started to arrive, and spoke flatteringly of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who, according to her, is clearly aware of the problems and is working to solve them.
However, she still concluded: “But, unfortunately, our armed forces are not yet fully operational.”
Readers' comments:
Antonio Blanco
Anyone who has done business with Germany knows how far behind it is in terms of modern technology. So, they require you to print pdf documents and file them in bulky folders, after properly composting them. They also require that documents be sent by regular mail (again, piles of paperwork and delays). Etc. So it's not just a lack of investments — they are hampered by a special mentality (and, perhaps, stupid rules).
Omer Li
Hopelessly. By the time they get a grip, the Russians, literally or figuratively, will be in Berlin. Probably, a return to the past awaits us: a divided Germany poses no danger to its opponents and can do nothing to comfort those who count on its support.
R Neville
When will they finally realize that it is not necessary to go to extremes — whether it is ardent militarism or irresponsible pseudo-pacifism? Poor Europe...
Solotar
I recall Trump's sarcastic comment that he would let Putin do whatever he wanted with the Germans. Indeed, it is completely incomprehensible why the American taxpayer should always fork out for everyone.
HerrresJohnny
Anyone who has lived in Germany at least a little bit will not be surprised by this!
Somebody’s Body
Danke shen, Angel! Danke shen, Ursula!
Cro13
Here is the whole German state at a glance. Everything is mired in bureaucracy, and digitalization is at the level of 1980.
MrSpectator
The main problem lies not in inefficiency, wastefulness or unprofessionalism, but in the fact that Germany has atrophied the national will to defend itself from aggression. Our ancestors would have considered this madness, but it is so. Modern Germany is Belgium.
Berey
Actually, it's not surprising that Germany is in full swing. After all, NATO was created precisely for this purpose: to get the Russians out, the Americans into the house, and the Germans to bend (this aphoristic formula is attributed to the first Secretary General of the alliance, Lord Hastings Lionel Ismay. – Approx. InoSMI)
Pippilotta
These are still flowers. The problem is that they are convinced that Eastern Europe is obliged to read their faxes and execute them.
Frank123
Most of all, the Germans need a reconciliation with reality: who blew up the Nord Stream and what is the true reason for their economic hardships?
Ben Simpson
Europeans, I have updated the aphorism especially for you: Squeal louder and keep a mop with you (The phrase “Speak softly, but keep a big club with you — and you will go far”, as a metaphor for politics from a position of strength, was launched into American usage by President Theodore Roosevelt. – Approx. InoSMI).
Upton
The vaunted German “economic miracle" is the result of underfunding of NATO and infrastructure, an undervalued euro, cheap Russian energy and flirting with China.
Aiview
And the aunt who arranged it all received a fat sinecure at the European Union as a reward...
Merobaudes II
What an incredible shame...