Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht draws far-reaching consequences from the breakdown disaster during exercises with the Puma infantry fighting vehicle. The SPD politician had planned replacement purchases of the combat vehicle put on hold on Monday after crisis talks, as the Ministry of Defense announced.
In addition, it was decided that from January 1st, the soldiers of the Bundeswehr would not be made available with the modern Puma, but with the Marder infantry fighting vehicle, which had been in use for decades, for the VJTF NATO rapid reaction force.
At a press conference in Slovakia, Lambrecht also called for the armored personnel carrier to be reliable beyond the upcoming repairs “if this system is to be used for further planning”. “I expect from the industry that the damage that has now occurred to the Puma will be repaired very, very quickly. The industry is now responsible for this,” said Lambrecht. She assured: “NATO, our allies, can rely one hundred percent on the commitments from Germany.”
In the ZDF “heute journal” Lambrecht said with regard to the Puma: “We can’t always swing from one repair to the other, we need reliable solutions or the decision to no longer rely on the Puma.” The repair must be done very quickly. “I don’t expect commitments within many weeks, but within a few.”
Lambrecht: NATO can rely on fulfilling its obligations
No second tranche (“2nd lot”) will be ordered until the vehicle proves to be stable. “The criticism from Parliament is completely justified,” said Lambrecht in Berlin. “Our troops have to be able to rely on the fact that weapon systems are robust and stable in combat. And NATO can continue to rely on our fulfillment of our duties with the VJTF. We already planned the Marder infantry fighting vehicle during the preparations and that has proven to be wise .”
According to information from the German Press Agency, the planned signing of an agreement for the purchase of further infantry fighting vehicles has been put on hold. Lambrecht: “The recent failures of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle are a major setback.”
All 18 tanks in use failed
During a shooting exercise by the Bundeswehr for participation in the NATO intervention force (VJTF stands for Very High Readiness Joint Task Force), all 18 of the tanks used failed. The Puma infantry fighting vehicle, which was plagued by numerous technical problems, was only declared combat-ready last year. The combat vehicle developed and produced by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH (RLS) had previously made headlines as a “breakdown tank”.
“We were still quite confident after the previous exercises because the Puma had done well. And now we have this unusually high number of failures,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. In the morning, Lambrecht was informed by Inspector General Eberhard Zorn, State Secretary for Armaments Benedikt Zimmer and other officers. According to information from the German Press Agency, an inconsistent pattern of damage was found on the failed armored personnel carriers, ranging from worn sprockets to problems with the electronics.
Czaja: Puma problems are uncomfortable and embarrassing
After a series of breakdowns, CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to act: “The Chancellor must also take care of the matter, because we must also be able to meet our alliance obligations in NATO,” Czaja said on Monday on the show “Early start” by RTL/ntv. The problems with the armored personnel carrier are unpleasant and embarrassing. Rapid processing is necessary. “We hope that we will have clarity on that soon this week.”
The Greens want clarification. The problems would have to be “clarified very, very quickly” and “above all then solved,” said party leader Ricarda Lang on Monday in Berlin. She assumes and expects that the MPs will be informed as soon as possible. “And above all, I think it’s a sign that we’re having problems overall when it comes to the Bundeswehr’s readiness for action and the procurement of materials.” The special fund must help there, but a reform of the procurement system is also needed.
Bartsch: Puma is “Billion Grave for Taxpayers”
The parliamentary group leader of the left in the Bundestag, Dietmar Bartsch, called on the federal government to examine recourse claims against the manufacturer because of the continued breakdowns in the Puma infantry fighting vehicle. “Scrap metal worth six billion euros is embarrassing for Germany. The Puma infantry fighting vehicle was a failure from the start, a billion-dollar grave for taxpayers,” criticized Bartsch. He also emphasized: “In 2017, only 27 of 71 brand-new Pumas were operational. Nevertheless, the costs have doubled as a result.”
The Bundeswehr has procured around 350 of the armored personnel carriers. Of these, 42 are currently available in a special configuration for the VJTF. In March of last year, after extensive testing, the Bundeswehr leadership classified the tank as fit for combat.
