The German military has been actively lobbying for increased funding amid pressure from Washington to increase NATO defense spending, even as the Federal Republic's military budget is already set to reach over $51 billion in 2019.
Just over a third of the new military equipment delivered to the Bundeswehr by manufacturers in 2017 is fit for service, the German defense ministry has revealed in a new report. Of the 97 major pieces of equipment delivered to the armed forces last year, only 38 of them were combat ready, the report says.
According to the report, of the 71 Puma infantry fighting vehicles delivered, 27 are combat ready. Of the eight new Airbus A400M Atlas military transports, half are fully operational. Just two of the seven Eurocopter Tiger combat helicopters and four of seven NH Industries' NH90 transport helicopters are combat ready. Furthermore, just one of the four Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets delivered in 2017 is fit for service.
Berlin is looking to achieve an equipment readiness level of 70 percent, and is most concerned with the state of the Puma and A400M deliveries. Defense ministry parliamentary secretary of state Peter Tauber said the quality of the planes was “increasing,” while urging the defense industry to “reach the agreed upon indicators as soon as possible.”
The operational readiness of the new equipment looks bleak even compared to the overall readiness of the 5,000 pieces of equipment already deployed…
