Germany's military is aging and shrinking, says report

Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, lacks personnel and equipment, despite a special modernization fund created two years ago, the parliament's commissioner for the armed forces said in a report presented on Tuesday. 

Commissioner Eva Högl said the military had "too little of everything." 

"Despite the remarkable efforts, substantial improvements in personnel, equipment, and infrastructure are still a long way off in the second year of the 'Zeitenwende'," Högl said, citing an annual report, and using the German word for the plan, which loosely translates to "turning point."  

Equipment shortages

In the days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Moscow's actions marked "a turning point in the history of our continent."

He then announced a €100 billion special fund to purchase modern weapons and back a more assertive foreign policy.

"In terms of equipment, the Bundeswehr is not yet fully operational," Högl said. "There is a lack of ammunition, of spare parts, of radio devices; there is a lack of tanks, of ships and of aircraft."

However, she noted German lawmakers have approved defense contracts worth €47.7 billion in 2023, and plans have been made for two-thirds of the special military fund.

"This must be continued at high pressure and accelerated," she added.

Aging soldiers

Högl also noted that the German military is facing an "enormous personnel problem" and called for increasing troop numbers from 181,000 to 203,000 by 2031.

"The Bundeswehr is aging and shrinking," she said, pointing out there were 1,537 fewer service personnel at the end of 2023. Several German military units have large "personnel vacancies," she said. 

lo/wmr (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)