helicopter are due to repair traffic jams on the ground, the Tornado fighter jet is a lack of spare parts, U-boats are not ready, due to battery damage over five months at all. In short: the Material of the Bundeswehr is often in a very desolate condition. A full 30 percent of the so-called large-scale unit were not in 2018, ready for use, downtime due to maintenance and modernisation work again.
But it is precisely such reports to the operational readiness of major weapons systems of the Bundeswehr classified in the future as a secret. This is evident from a Letter of the inspector-General Eberhard wrath on the defense Committee of the Bundestag, day-to-day level. The Bundestag members are allowed to read only in the secret protection office of the Federal tags, and not about the content of talk. Even if you make on-the-spot notes, they must stay there.
“Worsened security situation”
In the letter, of the inspector General, it means that the report for the year 2018, it had become compared to the past four years, more extensive and more detailed. “Overall, he is now so concrete conclusions on the current capabilities of the Bundeswehr, that the disclosure would cause damage by Unauthorized persons, the security interests of the Federal Republic of Germany.” Against the Backdrop of the “heightened Security situation” and the German contribution to the provision of Security in Nato, as well as for the protection of the force, the information in the report are, therefore, “to keep in their entirety,” a secret.
So that it could be for Secretary of defense Ursula of the Leyen (CDU) in the future, more and more difficult to get in the Bundestag have a majority for a significant increase in the defense budget to purchase new military equipment. Actually, the Federal government of the Nato expenditure was an increase in Military to 1.5 percent of GDP by 2024. However, the German Finance Minister, Olaf Scholz (SPD) is pressing on the brake.
Clear criticism of the classification of the complete report on the readiness came from the Opposition. “Ursula von der Leyen can hold compared to the Nato partners is less and less what it promises. Therefore, but embarrassed einzuigeln, I think, a serious mistake,“ said the defense policy spokesperson of the FDP, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the daily mirror. “It is absurd to punish the Parliament rather than the Secretary of defense solves the problems. For the acceptance of the population in the urgently necessary investments in the German armed forces, transparency is the basic requirement.“
“We don’t need secrecy”
The Green defense expert Tobias Lindner stressed, wife of the Leyen had written so far, always transparency on the flags – there are many unpleasant topics were increasingly being classified. “If it acts, it is received as a failed Minister in the history books instead of your so-called Trends,” he said to the daily mirror.
The Left-politicians, Matthias Höhn, criticized the secrecy was a “windy attempt”, this Silence about the failure of the improvement in material procurement. “We don’t need secrecy, but clarity about why Mrs von der Leyen is not able to redeem their announcements. This also includes the procurement, include: Which are getting more and more expensive and later and later than before, full-bodied announced.“
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Fancy weapons systems of the Bundeswehr operational readiness of equipment wants to keep it a secret
the inspector General’s wrath sees the Bundeswehr, however, in a good way. Although the Material is not currently claimed to be as strong as 20 years could be stopped the downward trend in the readiness of the main weapons systems “largely”, and in some cases even an improvement had been achieved. He must, however, also note: “Even if the path is correct, we are not there yet.”
