[Skybird]

Its considered to be not polite tp tell somebody that one had told him so, but - I told you so.
Der Tagesspiegel:
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The Bundeswehr is in an even worse position today than it was before the Ukraine war. Its ammunition reserves would last for two days in the event of war. Does SPD Minister Lambrecht even want combat-ready armed forces?

Do we want armed forces that can defend our country and allies? If you look at the Basic Law [German constitution, Skybird] or current surveys, the answer is clearly yes. However, if you look at the state of the Bundeswehr, doubts are warranted, because governments and the Bundestag have been running the army down for decades.

The fact that Germany's armed forces are no longer feared in Europe may be an advantage. That allies laugh at them is not so good, but it happens more and more often. Even a German battle tank is only as good as its radio communications or its ammunition supply. And when German armored infantrymen borrow stable tents from smaller countries during maneuvers because they can't get any themselves, that's bitter for them. But also embarrassing for Germany.

Now there was a "turn of the times", and after that something changed, at least in words and resolutions. Unfortunately, not in deeds. Because nine months after the beginning of the second Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Bundeswehr is just as "blank" (a word used by the army chief) as it was on February 24. It is probably even worse off because weapons and material from the Ukraine aid are not being reordered.

It is inexplicable why investments in weapons and material have been reduced in the defense budget for 2023 and why the budget of Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) speaks more in favor of downsizing than growth. That's why the troops continue to stand still, even literally: by the beginning of October, the tight fuel budget had almost been used up. Only with all kinds of budgetary tricks could the tanks continue to be filled, as a CDU deputy found out in response to persistent questioning.

But there is a "special fund," he retorted. Yes, the parliament has approved a loan of 100 billion euros. However, the ministry had to cut the procurement list sharply because interest, currency losses and inflation were not included. This could have been known, but it was ignored. So the finished economic plan was not available until mid-November. In the meantime, the purchasing power of the 100 billion Chancellor's promise has fallen to about 85 billion. You'd think you could buy all kinds of things with that.

However, four weeks before the end of the year, it emerges that practically nothing has been ordered so far. Parliament has not yet seen any proposals for helicopters, combat aircraft or corvettes. All parliamentary groups, with the exception of the SPD, complained about this during the budget debate and demanded more speed. But why do members of the government and the opposition have to beg Lambrecht to please, please spend the money faster? Does the minister and former functionary of the Parliamentary Left perhaps not want combat power for the armed forces at all?

The budget debate was also embarrassing for Olaf Scholz, and not only because of his broken two-percent promise. The chancellor has promised NATO to have an entire division ready for action again starting in 2025, or about 15,000 soldiers. To equip the "Chancellor's Division," other army units will have to be further plundered. After all, no one in the Ministry of Defense believes that it will be possible to procure the necessary new equipment, tanks and artillery by the end of 2024. Of course, this is especially true if nothing is ordered at all. Whether the chancellor already knows this, and whether the minister has already understood the problem?

Finally, it is puzzling why Lambrecht does not invest in ammunition. Even before the war began, the Bundeswehr lacked artillery shells or rockets worth more than 20 billion euros. The requirement is calculated on the basis of NATO's stipulation that ammunition be kept in stock for 30 days of fighting. Even that is quite modest, considering the past nine months in Ukraine. The Bundeswehr currently claims to have enough for two days of fighting, details of which are secret. So now, a lot would have to be ordered quickly. Why isn't this happening? Does the minister prefer forces without ammunition?

The ammunition issue is one of many. One year after taking office, Lambrecht still has no concept for the armed forces, no reform proposal for the overburdened defense bureaucracy, no idea of European armaments cooperation, no thought of a major restructuring of the procurement system. For eleven months now, a non-expert state secretary and party friend from the judiciary has been tinkering with a so-called "stocktaking". The minister is said to be gradually finding her way into the office she never really wanted. That can hardly be enough.
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Dont trust the Germans.

And this saddening carricature of defence mninster is in the main just this: utmost incompetent, clueless and incapable.

The 100 billion budget, btw, also is no longer meant to be "additional" to the regular yeraly defenc ebudget, but is entirely planned to be sued to beef the regular budget to its nominal level. And even this they do not acchieve.