Association: More personnel for the troops - conference in Berlin
The Chairman of the German Armed Forces Association, André Wüstner, is calling for more personnel for the troops quickly in the face of new and complex threats to the country.
"The Bundeswehr must stop the downward trend in personnel by the end of next year at the latest. If this does not succeed, the operational readiness threatens to fall to a level that would hardly be justifiable", warned Wüstner in the "Rheinische Post" ahead of the Bundeswehr conference that begins today.
Bundeswehr must become fit for war
Wüstner welcomed recent statements by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), according to which the Bundeswehr must become fit for war again. He said it was good that Pistorius was calling a spade a spade. "Germany must become fit for war again in order to be able to credibly deter and, in extreme cases, defend itself," emphasized Wüstner.
Pistorius and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) are also expected to attend the Bundeswehr conference on Friday. "The fact that the Chancellor is coming once again is an expression of a new appreciation, which is certainly related to our world in transition," emphasized the head of the association. "However, I also expect the Chancellor to send a clear message that the coalition with the traffic light system is crystal clear about its commitment to the troops despite all the challenges.
This also includes a clear commitment to the two percent target and how he intends to achieve this apart from a special fund." It was clear to everyone that the special fund of 100 billion euros could only be the beginning of the investments. "In future, we will probably have to invest more than two percent of gross domestic product in the Bundeswehr in order to be able to defend ourselves," Wüstner continued.
The Bundestag deliberates
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Scholz had declared that Germany would invest two percent of its gross domestic product in the Bundeswehr with immediate effect and also set up a debt-financed special fund of 100 billion euros for the modernization of the troops. Pistorius estimates that the special fund will be used up by 2027/2028. The minister recently emphasized that two percent would then mean around 20 percent more money for the defence budget than today.
The Bundestag is also discussing the financing of the Bundeswehr today. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group has submitted a motion on this issue. In it, the CDU/CSU demands that the federal government allocate two percent of gross domestic product to defense in accordance with the NATO agreement and that only "undoubtedly" defense-related expenditure be included. In addition, the defense budget is to be increased by ten billion euros in 2024 compared to 2023.
In response to the calls for strengthening the Bundeswehr, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius acknowledged that Germany needs to become fit for war again to effectively deter threats and, if necessary, defend itself. During the upcoming Bundeswehr conference, both Pistorius and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz are expected to affirm their support for the troop's modernization and commitment to the two percent target, echoing the sentiments of the German Armed Forces Association led by Chairman Olaz Scholz, who emphasized the importance of addressing the downward personnel trend.
Source: www.dpa.com
