The inspector-general of the army sees serious consequences if the military budget is not increased.
We must decide as a society - to put it bluntly - whether we conduct defense policy based on the threat situation or the budget situation, asked Mais. "Security does not come at a zero price. I have understood the turnaround."
The compromise of the "Traffic Light" coalition for the state budget of the coming year sees a smaller defense budget than demanded by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD). He had requested a need of around 58 billion Euros, the compromise only sees roughly 53 billion Euros. The defense budget is then supposed to reach around 80 billion Euros by the year 2028.
Mais sees his troops still far from their goal. Germany is supposed to provide three divisions to NATO. "The first, starting in 2025, we will get with a bang from the inventory," he emphasized. "The second, starting in 2027, is completely dependent on the special fund." The ultimate goal for all forces must be full material equipment. "There can be no 'readiness for war' below that," so Mais.
The Army Inspector demanded more tempo despite already initiated reforms: "If I want to fulfill all the commitments we have made on the timeline, we have to become faster." The Army, for example, is currently building up its own air defense again. This will not be ready for deployment before 2028. All the changes that the Bundeswehr is currently going through, Mais called an "open-heart operation".
The Army Inspector, Alfons Mais, expressed his concern about the defense budget, stating that he follows the position of Boris Pistorius from the SPD. Despite the compromise in the state budget, Mais believes that the Army Inspectorate needs to maintain its focus on achieving Germany's defense goals, such as providing three divisions to NATO by specific years. Wehretat, the German Federal Ministry of Defense, is currently undergoing an "open-heart operation" of reforms, as demanded by the Army Inspector.
