The German army has a 20 billion euro shortage of ammunition

According to the report of Fars International News Agency, Eva Hogel, Commissioner of the Armed Forces Committee in the German Parliament (Bundestag), warned on Sunday that the country’s army is facing a severe shortage of ammunition. He also highlighted the lack of some basic personal equipment needed by the army.

In an interview with the Bild newspaper, the German representative revealed that filling the ammunition reserves of the German army would cost 20 billion euros. He demanded the completion of the army’s ammunition depots and said that the government has been procrastinating in this regard for years. He said: Without ammunition, everything is nothing.

He also addressed the unfortunate condition of the basic equipment needed by the German forces and cited as an example the case when the army personnel stationed in Lithuania were forced to participate in military exercises without bulletproof vests.

In addition, many military units are at only 60 percent of what they show on paper when taking sick, maternity and educational leave into account, Hogel said. Without adequate personnel, even the best weapons are of little use, he warned.

According to him, if the ranks of the German army do not increase significantly, Berlin should prioritize its deployment and limit its presence in international missions by focusing on national defense.

Meanwhile, Berlin delivered the first unit of its advanced IRIS-T defense system to Kyiv last month, and three more units, consisting of a command vehicle, a vehicle with radar technology, and a truck-mounted launcher, are expected to arrive in Ukraine in 2023.

Meanwhile, the German army has not yet received the IRIS-T system, which has caused some politicians to raise the concern that Germany is busy arming Ukraine at the expense of its defense power.

Earlier, on October 8, the German section of the “Business Insider” website, citing parliamentary and defense industry sources, reported that the German army (Bundeswehr) has enough ammunition for only one or two days of war.

According to the report, Berlin is significantly behind NATO’s requirement to maintain reserves for at least 30 days of war. It is said that this problem has been identified for years because military maneuvers have been short of supplies.

According to Business Insider, this shortage has been exacerbated since Germany, along with many other Western countries, began sending arms to Ukraine.

Hans-Christoph Atzpodin, head of the German Security and Defense Industry Association, told Business Insider: “If ammunition is removed from the army’s stockpile, while the corresponding orders are not given to the defense industry at the same time, the shortages will not improve.” Meanwhile, sources of this media said that no significant orders have been given to defense companies to produce more weapons.

Meanwhile, the American newspaper Washington Post reported that the Europeans and Washington are facing a big challenge due to the reduction of weapons in their warehouses to send to Ukraine to fight against Russia.

Previously, the CNBC channel reported, citing military experts, that the stockpile of American and European weapons and ammunition, which are used to send to Ukraine, is running out.

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