The German army did not experience a moment’s glory amidst defective vehicles, dilapidated barracks, unsuitable uniforms and scarce supplies, as soldiers found increasing difficulties in conducting their activities. In recent months, while cases of anti-Semitism have risen among soldiers, even normal training has become difficult to conduct due to the multitude of logistical problems that characterize the entire military sector.
The alarm was raised by Armed Forces Commissioner Eva Hoegl, who spent 100 days traveling from one military district to another, after long complaining about the lack of funds and the slowness of the Bundeswehr apparatus’s renewal process. to prepare a report on the actual conditions of the system. The former lawmaker tasked with overseeing the armed forces visited 70 German military sites around the world, meeting with more than 2,300 personnel who complained of inadequate first-aid kits and the need to cancel drills on a regular basis. tanks due to not enough vehicles.
As Hoegl puts it, “the army has little of everything”, even a few sites don’t even have a connection to the wi-fi network, the list of complaints is too long. As the Times reported, military communications in Germany are so limited that soldiers are forced to shout through the openings of armored vehicles instead of using radios. Bureaucracy isn’t helping, equipment upgrade projects are slow, seven years hasn’t been enough to bring the next generation of cameras to market. middle team While it took more than 10 years to present a new model of helmets for pilots of German helicopters in the forces of the US army, since the 90s, the armed forces.
Numerous sites visited by the Commissioner reported structural problems where the walls were bolstered by sandbags, while others had rotting sheds and obsolete equipment. At the Munich-based medical academy’s microbiology institute, staff are working with an almost 30-year-old printer and refrigerators that are not suitable for sample storage, while in Ulm hospital there is no internet, so precision instruments are manually monitored. connection.
Soldier clothing continues to be used towards the end of the Cold War, the so-called “dress system 90”, a series of uniforms hated by German detachments for their vulnerability to cold and moisture. Also inadequate “Abc” equipment to protect against atomic, biological or chemical attack, budget cuts that have followed over the years have not allowed the special defense unit to purchase this decontamination material.
Of the 100 billion euros promised by Chancellor Olaf Sholz after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, only 13 have been allocated so far. According to various estimates, the German armed forces would have to invest another 20 billion euros in the purchase of NATO-only ammunition, while Hoegl claims that the amount will be 300 billion dollars for the restructuring of the entire apparatus. Behind Sholz’s private funding is the desire to create an “ultra-modern” military force, which, according to the chancellor, is “Europe’s most powerful army of the future”. The words resonated with the repercussions of the commissioner of the armed forces, who said it would take at least 50 years to achieve a goal of this magnitude with the current rate of investment and innovation.
As if that weren’t enough, many suspected cases of far-right have been reported, even with a slight decline in 2021: 203 last year, up to 226 two years ago. On benches or walls, the SS would sing the Hitler salute during the national anthem, while others would claim that “the Jew carries the plague with him”. The proliferation of anti-Semitic attitudes, as expressed by Hoegl, favors the slowness of their suppression. It took more than five years to discipline a non-commissioned officer who used the Nazi salute during flag-raising, while dozens of soldiers await retraining.
Some trends would return to entice sections of the German ranks after a former group member of the Bundeswehr who was planning a coup d’etat against the country’s government was arrested last December. Among the attitudes that demoralized a large part of the troops are the acts of bullying and harassment that are present in large quantities, as well as widespread racism that can lead a group of soldiers to demand that a reception be burned. refugee center Finally, Hoegl declared that the army had 20,000 fewer heads than its 10-year target of 203,000 soldiers. Over the past year, 21% of soldiers chose to retire from military service within the first six months.
The country’s defense capabilities have recently come into question after several Puma infantry tanks that were supposed to be assigned to NATO’s multinational unit, Joint Very High Readiness, were decommissioned during a military exercise and the military resumed use. old but reliable Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
