These are the difficulties of the 100 billion euro plan

If you want to know what the Bundeswehr could do with 100 billion euros, you only have to look at the Defense Ministry’s report on “material operational readiness” that was published in December. In the case of helicopters, for example, this is “still at a too low, unsatisfactory level,” writes the inspector general. Accordingly, on average only four out of ten helicopters were operational. In the case of the Leopard II main battle tank, the “availability dent” will remain noticeable until 2025.

The list goes on for a long time. The first CH53 helicopters entered service in the 1970s, and the Tornado jets are showing their age. At times not a single one of the only six submarines left by the Navy was available. The army inspector Alfons Mais recently stated that the Bundeswehr is “more or less empty” when it comes to national and alliance defense.