Initially, only two black dots are visible in the bright blue sky above the Eiffel region on the west side of Germany. The dots are then transformed into the shapes of two F-35 fighter jets, with the roar of their engines quickly becoming louder. The jets are coming from the east, where they flew patrols over Poland near the Ukrainian border and are now heading back to Spangdahlem US air base.
There, US troops have deployed 12 of the aircraft to monitor NATO airspace over Eastern Europe in the face of Russian aggression.
These stealth aircraft are considered to be the most advanced multi-role fighter aircraft in the world. The Bundeswehr would like to buy some to replace 45 obsolete Tornado aircraft from the 1970s that can carry US nuclear bombs stored in Germany.
Until now, this wish seemed impossible. But that changed on February 27, when Chancellor Olaf Solz made the surprise announcement that the Bundeswehr would receive a one-time special fund of 100 billion euros ($ 110.6 billion).
“The F-35 fighter jet is considered a transport aircraft,” Soltz said in a speech to the federal parliament on Germany’s response to the Russian intervention in Ukraine.
“We need flying planes, sailing ships and soldiers who are well equipped for their missions,” he said.
His announcement surprised many MPs and security experts. After all, Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats (SPD) were in a coalition government with former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right CDU for eight years until 2021. During that time, his party blocked major armaments projects.
“Our goal is to have one of the most capable, powerful armies in Europe during this decade,” said Free Democrat (FDP) Finance Minister Focus on Business. In addition to the special fund, the German defense budget will increase to 2% of gross domestic product, as defined by NATO.
High tech wish list
But the Bundeswehr is not just looking at F-35 fighter jets. It is also seeking funding for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), an aircraft being developed by Germany along with France.
Next on the list are updated heavy transport helicopters and the modernization of the Patriot air defense missile system. The wish list also includes armed drones, for example from Israel, and modern warships.
However, security expert Claudia Major warned that it would not be possible for the Bundeswehr to make a big spree of purchases right away, as the military is lagging behind.
“There are already a lot of armaments projects that the Bundeswehr has already planned but could not fund. Now they can spend that money,” he said.
After the end of the Cold War in 1990, the Bundeswehr shrank significantly. Although its budget has increased to over € 46 billion, it still suffers from a lack of equipment and supplies. Planned purchases of large weapons systems — transport planes, helicopters, and warships — have repeatedly stalled. The money that had not been spent by the end of the year was lost and the Bundeswehr could not plan in the long run.
“As a result, the defense projects have been repeatedly exposed and re-discussed from the beginning,” said Major, who heads the security policy research team at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin.
Low technology needs
The Bundeswehr also has more basic needs: there is a shortage of ammunition, even battle boots and underwear. A recent report by Eva Högl, the Bundestag’s defense commissioner, on the situation of German NATO troops in Lithuania almost sounded like a bad joke. After a visit to the area during the cold Lithuanian winter, Högl explained how the soldiers did not have thick jackets and underwear to keep them dry and warm. How can this be a problem for the soldiers of one of the richest countries in the world?
But the money alone will not be enough. In the past, the supply of weapons and materials by the Bundeswehr was often poorly organized and delayed due to excessive bureaucracy. An order for 120,000 assault rifles built in 2015, for example, has been sunk in a court battle and has not yet been completed.
The German arms industry is now hoping for large orders and its share prices have risen dramatically in recent days. However, CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter warned of hasty decisions. He said the German government must carefully consider what the proposed bill will be spent on and what is more urgent.
“I’m worried that we will burn a lot of money without priorities and without the basis of a national security strategy, which the government has announced,” he said.
The army is looking for more personnel
Unlike other members of his party in the Bundestag, Kiesewetter also opposes the reintroduction of compulsory military service. That was suspended under Chancellor Merkel in 2011. The Bundeswehr no longer had the capacity to train and equip conscripts and to be able to manage it again would be expensive and time consuming, he said.
“This would mean that the € 100 billion would disappear very quickly, without the Bundeswehr becoming more efficient,” Kieswetter told DW. He also doubts whether it would be possible to integrate conscripts into a high-tech army with sophisticated weapons systems in just a few months of military service.
However, the Bundeswehr wants to increase its numbers. The top German soldier, Inspector General Eberhard Zorn, has targeted 203,000 troops on ZDF television, 20,000 more than today. Despite costly advertising campaigns, the Bundeswehr has so far struggled to fill vacancies. Given the tense security situation on the east side of NATO, it now hopes for more applicants.
After the end of the Cold War, the Bundeswehr began to focus more and more on foreign missions, for example in the Balkans, Afghanistan or Mali. Now, his role returns to equipping an army focused on defending his country and its allies closer to home.
Strengthening the Bundeswehr critique
The Civey research institute surveyed 5,000 Germans from February 28 to March 2 and found that three-quarters of them supported the planned special fund for the armed forces.
But critical voices have come from left-wing German politicians – also within the ruling Social Democrats and Greens.
The issue of accountability was raised by Jessica Rosenthal, the leader of the SPD youth organization, which includes 49 members of the Bundestag. “It does not make sense to throw billions more euros into a black hole,” he told the national newspaper. Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The youth of the Green Party have similar concerns. “The alleged need for investment in the Bundeswehr is mainly due to mismanagement, not a lack of budget,” said Timon Dzienus, co-chair of the Greens youth organization. Tagesspiegel daily newspaper.
Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
Twenty of them are believed to be at the Büchel base in western Germany, although the German government has never officially confirmed this. The area of the air base there is secured with two barbed wire, protection corridors and cameras. As you approach the gate, the guards politely ask you to leave as soon as possible.
Not far from the entrance gate, activists have hung banners calling on people to pray for peace. They are also calling for a nuclear-weapon-free Germany, a rather lonely call at the moment in view of the billion-euro plans for the Bundeswehr.
This article was originally published in German
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