Inspector General calls for billions for the Bundeswehr
The negotiations for the 2025 budget are on track. It is still unclear if Defense Minister Pistorius will receive the required additional 6.7 billion Euros for the Bundeswehr. General Inspector Breuer supports him.
General Inspector of the Federal Armed Forces, Carsten Breuer, backs Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in the budget dispute over the Bundeswehr. In order to meet the security policy challenges, the defense budget must continue to grow, Breuer told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "The parliament has provided us with a significant amount of money through the special fund and, if you will, given us the order to make the Bundeswehr combat-ready." He stands shoulder to shoulder with Pistorius, who has demanded an additional 6.7 billion Euros for the coming year, "hand in hand."
Breuer added: "Besides funding, it's about operating expenses, maintenance, training, and exercises, without which we cannot obtain the readiness of the troops. What good is more material if the soldiers cannot use it? We should not just look at a figure per year, but rather over the years. We need a continuous increase in the defense budget - also so that the defense industry has reliable planning grounds and invests long-term. Because we don't want anything: Without security, nothing matters. A sporadic financing that follows crises and follows the 'just as much as necessary' approach, we can no longer afford in the face of the threat situation. That doesn't lead to deterrence."
New conscription for women
For the case of a reintroduction of the discontinued conscription, General Inspector Breuer advocated for the inclusion of women. "We currently have a suspended conscription that targets the male population only according to the Basic Law," he told RND. "Here equality should be established - but we first need a corresponding political and societal discussion. A necessity for this exists: the defense of Germany and the alliance. We must be combat-ready."
Breuer welcomed Defense Minister Pistorius' recently proposed model of a compulsory military service of at least six months. "Militarily speaking, we need growth capacity, not least with regard to NATO planning," he told RND. "Furthermore, we are the pivotal point for our allies, in fact, all routes lead through Germany in the event of a deployment of our allies. The Bundeswehr needs personnel. Our requirement is for over 400,000 time-servicemen and career soldiers, as well as reservists. To meet this requirement, we need approximately 100,000 reservists in addition. We can cover this need through the new model at first."
Without mandatory components, it won't work.
Breuer mentioned the need for a continuous increase in the defense budget, highlighting its importance for both the readiness of the troops and the long-term investments of the defense industry. He argued against a sporadic financing approach, stating that it would no longer be suitable in the current threat situation.
In the context of potential women's conscription, Breuer advocated for equality in military service, arguing that it is essential for Germany's defense and its alliance commitments. He welcomed Defense Minister Pistorius' proposal of a compulsory military service of at least six months, seeing it as a way to meet the Bundeswehr's personnel requirements, particularly in light of the NATO planning.
The German Armed Forces, or Bundeswehr, are in need of growth capacity, as noted by General Inspector Breuer. He emphasized that the Bundeswehr is a crucial point of deployment for allies in case of any deployment, making it crucial to have sufficient personnel to meet the demands.
