The German army will not be able to make up for all its shortcomings in military equipment by 2030. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said this in an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, which was published on Saturday.
Bad state of the Bundeswehr
“We all know that the existing shortage cannot be completely eliminated by 2030. It will take years. Everyone is aware of that,” Pistorius noted. “If I were the head of a concern that produces military equipment, I would do everything possible,” he said.
The Reuters agency states that according to experts, the German armed forces (Bundeswehr), whose condition has been neglected since the end of the Cold War for decades, is currently in an even worse condition than last year. This is because the weapons and ammunition supplied to Ukraine to defend against Russian attacks have not yet been largely replaced.
Pistorius refused further arms deliveries to Kyiv from the Bundeswehr stockpile beyond those already promised. “I’ll say it bluntly: like other countries, we have limited supplies. As the Federal Minister of Defense, I cannot move everything forward,” he emphasized.
The priority is two percent for defense
He pointed out that the main priority is to increase defense spending to two percent of GDP from the current 1.5 percent. “If it can then be set in motion at the end of the legislative period, I would be satisfied,” added Pistorius, who took up the position of head of the Ministry of Defense in January of this year.
According to the DPA agency, he identified the protection of NATO’s eastern wing as another priority. “For us, this means, first of all, building a fully equipped division by 2025 and adequately contributing to NATO’s rapid reaction forces,” he said. According to him, the Bundeswehr has three tasks: ensuring the defense of Germany, as well as within NATO, and also international crisis operations. “This requires skills supported by material and personnel,” he added.
Germany is also planning a naval mission in the Indo-Pacific next year and is intensifying its partnerships with key countries in the region such as Japan, Australia, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Singapore, the minister added.
Don’t overlook
Scholz confirmed that Germany delivered Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine