Berlin would not currently be able to keep its defense promises to its NATO allies, Germany’s defense minister Ursula von der Leyen told Bild am Sonntag.
“With our airborne systems we are currently below the target
figures announced one year ago, defining what we would want to
make available to NATO within 180 days in the case of an
emergency,” von der Leyen stated.
On Saturday, German magazine “Der Spiegel” also reported that the fleet of
60 Eurofighters previously pledged could not currently be
provided. On Friday, there had been an emergency meeting over the
matter, reported Süddeutsche Zeitung.
At the moment, only 24 out of a total of 109 Eurofighters are
ready for service, and 38 of 89 – less than half - of Tornado
fighters could be utilized properly. In a war in the Baltic, the
army would be overwhelmed.
Last Monday it also became known that the German navy only has
three operational helicopters and on Saturday it emerged that a
Tiger gunship helicopter had lost a weapons carrier during an
exercise.
“From 2016 it will be necessary to increase the budget - by
whatever amount of money is necessary to fulfill all our
commitments,” Christian Democrat defense expert Henning Otte
told the “Welt am Sonntag.”
The recent report prompted a heated debate in the Defense
Committee as to the readiness of the German armed forces and its
ability to provide international aid and respond to a crisis
call.
On Friday the Defense Minister summoned all chiefs of forces.
After a discussion, they concluded that meetings were imperative
and should take place more regularly in the future, with the next
to be scheduled for 14 days’ time.
It comes as Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the UN
General Assembly on Saturday that Berlin was ready to take on a
greater international role.