The Chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), sees several starting points for faster procurement of equipment and weapons for the Bundeswehr. “A turning point must also apply to procurement. It could be examined whether the separation of Bundeswehr administration and troops currently prescribed by the Basic Law could be abandoned in order to make coexistence better together,” said Strack-Zimmermann of the German Press Agency in Berlin. She described the procurement system of the Bundeswehr as a “complicated conglomerate of institutions, processes and rules”.
In response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the Bundestag had decided on a special fund of 100 billion euros for equipping the long-neglected Bundeswehr. The fact that the options for action were not used last year has been clearly criticized by the Bundestag and the armaments industry. The sluggish start is also proof that money alone is not enough.
“In Germany we have to learn to think strategically about procurement. For me, this includes three factors: strengthening European resilience, increasing compatibility with our partners and having the courage to go for 80 percent solutions,” said Strack-Zimmermann. The most important point, however, remains the will of everyone involved, from the minister to the clerk, to make the right material available to the troops more quickly. Then results in “LNG speed” would also be possible in the Bundeswehr, said Strack-Zimmermann, who was referring to the acceleration in construction at the gas terminals.