100 billion euros are to come to the Bundeswehr from a special pot as part of the “turning point” proclaimed by Chancellor Scholz. But still nothing arrived. Is procurement “too sluggish”?
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl, has clearly criticized the sluggish start of the turnaround towards full operational readiness of the Bundeswehr. “The Bundeswehr has too little of everything. And it has had even less since February 24, 2022,” said the SPD politician on Tuesday in Berlin at the presentation of her annual report. She referred to the special fund of 100 billion euros approved by the Bundestag, with which the Bundeswehr is to be made operational. “Unfortunately, I have to say that in 2022 not a single euro or cent has been spent by this special fund,” said Högl.
According to Article 45b of the Basic Law, the Commissioner for the Armed Forces assists the Bundestag in parliamentary control of the armed forces. But she is also considered the advocate for the soldiers, who can turn to her at any time.
In her annual report she criticized that the procurement system was “too sluggish”. She cites numerous examples: Since 2016, a biology laboratory for an NBC defense school has been planned. Although it is about commercially available devices that are available on the market, only 32 of 200 individual devices have been procured so far. Elsewhere, the procurement of a pilot’s helmet with ballistic protection goes back as far as 2013 – although it is available on the market and used by the US military. The equipment should now be made available in the third quarter of this year.
Högl: 100 billion euros is not enough
However, Högl pleaded for more money, despite long-lamented problems. “The 100 billion euros alone will not be enough to make up for all the shortfalls. According to military experts, a total of 300 billion euros would be needed for this,” wrote Högl.
When asked, she confirmed that she also supports a significant increase in the regular defense budget (“Individual Plan 14”), as demanded by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD). “The minister has now gone in with a demand for 10 billion euros. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he will prevail,” said Högl. “The money is money well invested in peace, freedom, security. The troops urgently need it.”
The Commissioner for the Armed Forces was concerned about the personnel situation in the Bundeswehr and doubted that the target number of 203,000 soldiers could be achieved by 2031. At the end of last year, the number of personnel was 183,051, a slight decrease compared to 2021 (183,695 soldiers). On the negative side, the number of applications fell by 11 percent to 43,900. “We need a larger pool of applications,” said Högl. There are 18,692 positions or 15.8 percent of the positions vacant. The Bundeswehr is getting older in terms of personnel.
Sexual assault has increased
Högl criticized the fact that the potential and the need to catch up when hiring women in the military was not being fully exploited. “Even including the medical service, the proportion of female soldiers is only 13.21 percent,” she criticized. Attacks against sexual self-determination have increased again after a significant decrease during the Corona period. There were 34 submissions and 357 reportable events. “There is really a need for action. That is also decisive for women deciding to join the armed forces,” said Högl.
Her report recorded a decrease in the numbers on the subject of right-wing extremism, where there were 319 cases and 203 reportable events. Högl said: If the decline means that the problem is less big, “then we’re happy about it. But, as I said, that needs to be pursued further.”
An ongoing topic: the infrastructure. Barracks are “in a sorry state” all over the country. Högl said: “There is a lack of accommodation, functioning toilets, clean showers, lockers, halls, sports facilities, military kitchens, care facilities, ammunition stores and armory and, last but not least, WLAN.” The investment requirement is now estimated at 50 billion euros. The building authorities managed to implement projects with a volume of one billion euros every year. The military commissioner: “That means we need half a century to implement the investment requirements accordingly.”
Source: Stern
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