German Armed Forces - Warnowwerft naval arsenal to become "war-ready"
The Bundeswehr as a whole aims for the Marine Arsenal to become "combat-ready" within three to five years. This task was assigned to him by the Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr in March, said the leader of the Marine Arsenal, Rainer Sacher, on the sidelines of a visit by the Federal Commissioner for Eastern Europe Carsten Schneider in Rostock.
The Warnowwerft in Rostock-Warnemünde is one of three sites of the Marine Arsenal since 2022. There, warships are maintained, repaired, and built. This usually runs according to fixed schedules and manufacturer specifications. "Combat-ready" means, according to Sacher's words, that processes for crisis situations are changed. This is supposed to be achievable by the end of 2028. No additional personnel is required.
For example, more spare parts would be stockpiled to get damaged ships back in service as quickly as possible, said Sacher. Plans would also be prepared for the case of communication systems failing. That is fundamentally nothing new. Until 1989, similar precautions were taken.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had announced in the spring that the Bundeswehr must become "combat-ready" by 2029. The SPD politician had to swallow criticism for his choice of words.
- Carsten Schneider, the Federal Commissioner for Eastern Europe, expressed his support for the German Armed Forces' efforts during his visit to Rostock, specifically mentioning the Marine Arsenal's goal to become "combat-ready" within a certain period.
- In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where Rostock is located, the economy is closely tied to the German Armed Forces, particularly the Marine Arsenal, as it houses one of the three sites for maintaining, repairing, and building warships.
- As part of the Bundeswehr's transformation to become "combat-ready," the leader of the Marine Arsenal, Rainer Sacher, highlighted the importance of having more spare parts in stock for rapid repairs and preparing backup plans for communication failures, drawing parallels with past practices in Brandenburg before 1989.
- In response to criticism regarding his use of the term "combat-ready," SPD politician Boris Pistorius, the Federal Defense Minister, clarified that the Bundeswehr's ambition is to achieve this status by 2029.
- Society and politics in Germany regularly face debates regarding the role and readiness of the German Armed Forces, with regions like Rostock-Warnemünde and cities like Rostock serving as key locations for these discussions, given their significant ties to the military.
