After Many Promises, Germany's Military Is Still In A Dire State

 

Politico.eu: Germany’s new defense minister faces ‘ticking time bombs’ in his armed forces  

Boris Pistorius’ honeymoon might soon be over as he faces fights over reforms and budget for the military. 

BERLIN — Germany’s new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has swiftly conquered the hearts and minds of the security community — and enjoys soaring polling among German citizens. Yet massive challenges, some of them deeply ingrained in his ministry’s structures, risk derailing him from his popularity path. 

Barely four weeks into his tenure, Pistorius gained a major win in almost instantly securing long-discussed German tanks for Ukraine. But he’s also garnered credibility by speaking plainly about the state of his country’s armed forces and making bold demands of his boss — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. 

At the Munich Security Conference this past weekend, Pistorius earned applause by saying, “Ukraine must win this war” — a clear formulation that Scholz has yet to utter. And while Scholz reiterated his point at the conference that Germany must “permanently” spend 2 percent of its economic output on defense, Pistorius pushed boldly ahead, stating “it must be clear to everyone” that “barely 2 percent” is not enough.  

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WNU Editor: The problem is that even with all of these promises of revamping the German military, nothing has really changed .... The truth about Germany’s defense policy shift (Politico).  

Update: Why am I not surprised. There are calls for even more money .... German army chief wants more money for equipment (DW). More here .... Only 30% of Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks are not combat ready, €100 billion insufficient (Frontier India).