Around 34 billion euros would have to be invested in the following multinational defense projects:
the TWISTER system, designed to improve defenses against supersonic weapons;
the development of a “combat cloud”;
the development of strategic air transport capabilities;
the German-French development of a new air-defense system, a new generation of battle tanks and the Eurodrone;
a new artillery and munitions system in cooperation with Britain;
the development of new frigates and landing platforms in cooperation with the Netherlands;
the development of new submarine technology in cooperation with Norway.
The memo, though, calls for the vast majority of the special defense fund (around 68 billion euros) to flow into large, national defense projects:
At the top of the priority list is a successor to the ancient Tornado fighters. In his speech on Sunday, Scholz indicated that the current strategy calls for a hybrid solution, essentially taking elements of the modernized Eurofighter and from the new American super-fighter F-35 from Lockheed Martin. This project alone is estimated to cost around 15 billion euros.
Around 5 billion euros are earmarked for the new heavy transport helicopter. The Bundeswehr’s old CH-53 helicopters from the 1970s have become prohibitively expensive to maintain. A new successor model is to be purchased from the U.S. as quickly as possible. There are two different models, both of which are already available, under consideration.
Some 20 billion euros must be invested in new munitions. Because the threat level has been low for so long, the Bundeswehr hasn’t been regularly refilling its weapons depots for decades. The result is that there is a severe lack of rockets and artillery shells for tanks, ships and helicopters. If the German military is serious about fulfilling its NATO pledges by 2030, the depots must be urgently restocked.
Another expensive project is the “Digitization of Land-Based Operations” (D-LBO), which essentially means a revamping of all communications systems. Even today, German troops don’t communicate digitally, with the PRC117 encrypted devices a rarity in the Bundeswehr, generally only issued to special forces like the KSK. The Bundeswehr believes the digitalization of military communications will cost around 3 billion euros.
Almost 2 billion euros are to be invested in new corvette warships.
Around 600 million is to be earmarked for the modernization of Patriot air-defense systems.
Already top spender in military, no oversea territories which would costs more to maintain.
And already lacking equipment. The German military is corrupt and ineffective.
It should be dissolved, equipment shipped to Ukraine and rebuild under the EU flag
I bet it will be toned down significantly as soon as this conflict is over.
If defence spending picks up in Europe, and if the Russian armed forces are weaker than portrayed by the industrial-military complex, do we need NATO?
How much of it will go to BCG, Accenture and McKinsey?
I’m looking forward to see this actually applied and how efficiently it’s done. I’m a bit sceptical about the last part. But at this point I’m just glad we’re going to invest more in the Bundeswehr again and hope their perception among the people shifts as well now.
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Around 34 billion euros would have to be invested in the following multinational defense projects:
the TWISTER system, designed to improve defenses against supersonic weapons;
the development of a “combat cloud”;
the development of strategic air transport capabilities;
the German-French development of a new air-defense system, a new generation of battle tanks and the Eurodrone;
a new artillery and munitions system in cooperation with Britain;
the development of new frigates and landing platforms in cooperation with the Netherlands;
the development of new submarine technology in cooperation with Norway.
The memo, though, calls for the vast majority of the special defense fund (around 68 billion euros) to flow into large, national defense projects:
At the top of the priority list is a successor to the ancient Tornado fighters. In his speech on Sunday, Scholz indicated that the current strategy calls for a hybrid solution, essentially taking elements of the modernized Eurofighter and from the new American super-fighter F-35 from Lockheed Martin. This project alone is estimated to cost around 15 billion euros.
Around 5 billion euros are earmarked for the new heavy transport helicopter. The Bundeswehr’s old CH-53 helicopters from the 1970s have become prohibitively expensive to maintain. A new successor model is to be purchased from the U.S. as quickly as possible. There are two different models, both of which are already available, under consideration.
Some 20 billion euros must be invested in new munitions. Because the threat level has been low for so long, the Bundeswehr hasn’t been regularly refilling its weapons depots for decades. The result is that there is a severe lack of rockets and artillery shells for tanks, ships and helicopters. If the German military is serious about fulfilling its NATO pledges by 2030, the depots must be urgently restocked.
Another expensive project is the “Digitization of Land-Based Operations” (D-LBO), which essentially means a revamping of all communications systems. Even today, German troops don’t communicate digitally, with the PRC117 encrypted devices a rarity in the Bundeswehr, generally only issued to special forces like the KSK. The Bundeswehr believes the digitalization of military communications will cost around 3 billion euros.
Almost 2 billion euros are to be invested in new corvette warships.
Around 600 million is to be earmarked for the modernization of Patriot air-defense systems.
Already top spender in military, no oversea territories which would costs more to maintain.
And already lacking equipment. The German military is corrupt and ineffective.
It should be dissolved, equipment shipped to Ukraine and rebuild under the EU flag
I bet it will be toned down significantly as soon as this conflict is over.
If defence spending picks up in Europe, and if the Russian armed forces are weaker than portrayed by the industrial-military complex, do we need NATO?
How much of it will go to BCG, Accenture and McKinsey?
I’m looking forward to see this actually applied and how efficiently it’s done. I’m a bit sceptical about the last part. But at this point I’m just glad we’re going to invest more in the Bundeswehr again and hope their perception among the people shifts as well now.
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