German Bundeswehr

Germany’s Lack of Military Readiness “Dramatic” Bundeswehr

The German military’s combat readiness was criticized by a scathing report by their parliament’s military commissioner as debates rage over the country’s increasing involvement in overseas military missions.

Germany’s military has deteriorated in recent years amid budget cuts and poor management, according to a report published on Tuesday by Parliamentary Armed Forces Commissioner Hans-Peter Bartels.

The call on politicians to double-down on reforms and increase funding came in the same week a Defense Ministry paper revealed German soldiers did not have enough protective vests, winter clothing or tents to adequately take part in a major NATO mission.
What’s wrong with the Bundeswehr?

Bartels pointed to “big gaps” in personnel and equipment. At the end of 2017, no submarines and none of the air force’s 14 large transport planes were available for deployment due to repairs.
Other equipment, including fighter jets, tanks and ships, was outdated and in some cases not fully operational because of bad planning or a lack of spare parts. Some air force pilots were unable to train because too many aircraft were being repaired.
Soldiers have experienced increasing levels of stress and there was a lack adequate leadership due to some 21,000 vacant officer posts.
The report said the government needed to pursue reforms “with greater urgency” and increase defense spending.
A lack of funding and inefficient management structures and planning were behind the problems. Germany has cut defense spending since the end of the Cold War. In 2017, it spent about 1.2 percent of its economic production in 2017 on the armed forces, which is below the 2 percent target recommended by the NATO alliance.

Germany has come under increasing criticism by some, including U.S. President Donald Trump for not spending 2 percent of their GNP on defense which Trump and others say, degrades the unity of NATO.

Meanwhile, the debate in the German government continues as some feel they should meet the NATO goal of 2 percent defense spending while others say the number is only a “target range” of spending.

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Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Germany Resumes Training of Peshmerga, But for How Long?

In the fight against the Islamic State terrorists, the German army was providing training and arms for the Peshmerga, the Kurdish people from Iraq who have been invaluable allies in the Global War on Terror. That mission was halted for a week, however, due to the conflict behind the Iraqi Kurds and the Baghdad government

The German army has restarted a training mission in Iraqi Kurdistan after a week’s pause. But the mission’s continuation is in doubt due to the conflict between the autonomous Kurdish region and Iraq. But for how long will the Germans train the peshmerga?

Germany’s army will continue to ensure that German-supplied weapons will only be used in the fight against the militant “Islamic State” (IS) group in Iraq, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Monday.
The Bundeswehr has been training and supplying weapons to the peshmerga for three years to help the Iraqi Kurds beat back IS militants. Peshmerga forces have assured the German government that the weapons supplied were only being used against IS.
“We do not have any reason to doubt that these agreements are being violated on a large scale,” the ministry spokesman said in Berlin. He added that it wasn’t possible in conflict areas to track the whereabouts of each weapon.
The German army has provided some 32,000 assault rifles and machine guns, as well as the MILAN anti-tank missile, valued at some €90 million ($106 million) since September 2014. Some 150 Bundeswehr troops are in northern Iraq, and peshmerga units have also received training in Germany.
But the training mission was suspended for a week after the central government in Baghdad, backed by Iranian-trained paramilitary groups, moved to reassert control over disputed territories the Kurds have captured since June 2014.

Iraq government spokesman claimed that peshmerga forces used Milan anti-tank missiles during the clash in Kirkuk. The Germans wouldn’t confirm or deny the claim. The current training mission is due to be completed in January 2018. At that time the Germans will have to decide whether or not to continue the mission or withdraw.

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Photo courtesy Bundeswehr