German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen in front of a Tornado aircraft during a visit to the German airbase in Jagel, near the German-Danish border, August 17, 2016. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer
Michael Peck, National Interest: Germany's Military Is a Total Mess: No Working Submarines, New Equipment Is Defective.
Only 39 percent of new weapons delivered to the German military in 2017 were ready to be fielded. And that's just the beginning.
Only 39 percent of new weapons delivered to the German military in 2017 were ready to be fielded.
The remainder had to be modified after delivery from the manufacturers before they were ready for use.
The German Defense Ministry admitted the problem after being questioned by leftist lawmakers in Parliament last week. "Especially worrisome were Airbus A400M military transport aircraft and the Puma infantry tank delivered since 2010 by a German consortium comprising Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall Defense," according to the German newspaper Deutsche Welle.
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Update #1: Germany's military is about to get a big spending boost (Business Insider/Reuters)
Update #2: Brand-new German tanks, helicopters need improvement before deployment (DW)
WNU Editor: I think the problems in the German military are deeper than that, and throwing money at the ministry will not solve it. From my vantage point I am getting the impression that the German military lacks the military and political leadership to give it a sense of direction and purpose. Bottom line .... they need to know what their mission is and to have it articulated so that everyone understands it. As it is right now .... joining the German military has become nothing more but having a job and a pension when you retire.
4 comments:
The long time head of the German MOD is a trained physician. What are the odds a healer is really serious about making the military lethal and efficient at killing? Compare her to Sec of Defense Mattis.
Also Merkel has left this nice women, no really, she seems very nice, competent in her medical field, earnest to a fault, in charge for many years while the MOD sinks deeper into decrepitude.
Merkel and der Leyen want a low cost, low effectiveness military, no other conclusion.
der Leyen is really a good looking woman for her age.
So there is that
Also she is a good doctor as Anon1204 pointed out.
Then she is the 1st woman German defense minister; OH, the joy we get from saying that.
What matters is how we's feelz!
PM Maliki appointed defense officials based on political loyalty not competence.
800 ISIS fighters advance on Mosul and those politically loyal generals fled causing their troops to flee as well.
PM Merkel comes from the same school of governance as Maliki. she appointed Van Leyden because she is politically reliable.
Merkel should resign.
At least Van Leyden was a hot mess.
Merkel is just a mess.
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