Berlin, Dec. 28, (dpa/GNA) – Only half at most of the German military’s weapons systems are ready for use, the head of the country’s armed forces association warned in remarks published Monday.
“Politicians have rightly recognized that the global risks and threats to our security require the Bundeswehr to be fully equipped,” association chief Andre Wuestner told the conservative daily Die Welt.
“But we are at a maximum of 50 per cent,” Wuestner added. “With some systems like helicopters or the old Tornado jets it is even worse – the situation is precarious.”
In a self-assessment for the lower house of parliament earlier this month, the Defence Ministry spoke of an average of 74 per cent of the main weapons systems being operational.
“Such reports irritate soldiers and give citizens the wrong impression,” Wuestner said.
He said that the 74 per cent which had been cited “are based on absurd mathematical models” and had nothing to do with the daily reality of military life.
Wuestner said that men and women everywhere in the forces had managed to work around the shortages for a long time, despite best efforts on the part of policymakers over the years to improve the situation.
GNA