Bundeswehr troops again anticipate obtaining necessary gear.
The Defense Ministry acknowledges hold-ups in equipping soldiers, citing a bankrupt supplier as one cause. This has resulted in missing gear for specific missions, disclosed a ministry representative.
The Defense Ministry has disclosedSetbacks in providing certain equipment for German soldiers. There were "delays in specific cases for certain items", said a ministry spokesperson in response to a Bild newspaper story. These hold-ups are regrettable. Nevertheless, it's anticipated that contractors will fulfill their responsibilities by the end of the scheduled delivery period at the close of 2025.
The spokesperson added that he couldn't provide further information, as a related letter to the Bundestag Budget Committee was designated for official use only. However, the reasons for the delays are multifaceted. For instance, a firm under contract went bankrupt. Additionally, production losses resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak have not entirely recovered. Yet, soldiers' overall conditions have improved considerably over the past few years, spanning a 2.4 billion euro initiative approved by Parliament.
The initiative aimed to upgrade soldiers' personal equipment as quickly as possible, addressing a long-standing issue. When questioned about whether any ongoing or imminent Bundeswehr operations were influenced by these delays, the spokesperson claimed he was unaware of any instances. The goal is that every soldier can train at their base with the equipment they ought to have on deployment. While not entirely feasible due to these delays, it should be possible to fulfill deployment requirements by sharing information.
Bild revealed that, for instance, only 58,850 sets of battle attire were delivered in 2023 - 72,200 units had been agreed upon. Just 81,000 out of 105,000 body armor systems had arrived. In the case of combat helmets, 62,684 had been received; however, 82,596 were anticipated. Issues with the 110-liter backpack were also apparent: 166,000 instead of the intended 206,000 units had been received. There were also hold-ups with image intensifier goggles, as a delivery destined for the Bundeswehr had gone to the Israeli army. Consequently, only 8,550 of the projected 10,850 sets were delivered.
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The delay in equipping German soldiers is primarily attributed to a bankrupt supplier, as acknowledged by the Ministry of Defense within the German Armed Forces. Despite these challenges, the Military is hopeful that contractors will meet their obligations by the end of 2025.
Source: www.ntv.de
