>There are statements which, on their own, are enough to demonstrate the extent of the strategic stall now affecting Western Europe. The statement made on July 17 by the Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr, General Alfons Mais, to Reuters, is certainly one of them. According to the officer, by 2025 Germany will have “the best-equipped NATO division in Europe”…
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>As with insurance policies, the important points often lie beyond the catchy headlines. Indeed, the German Chief of Staff acknowledges that the Bundeswehr, the armed force of Europe’s leading economic and demographic power, does not currently have a functional mechanized division.
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>Besides, this new division will only be equipped at 80%, perhaps 90%, by 2025, while the Bundeswehr will only provide 2 mechanized brigades and one motorized brigade, the 4th brigade being Dutch. A second German mechanized division could be operational by 2027, according to General Mais.
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>Above all, this attempt at a reassuring statement highlights the very limited resources available to Western European countries, while at the same time hundreds of thousands of men, armed with tens of thousands of armored vehicles and thousands of artillery systems, are facing each other in Ukraine.
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>In other words, boasting that a country of 83 million inhabitants with a GDP of $4.300bn will have a single operational division by 2025 would be utterly pathetic, if the consequences were not so critical for the security of the old continent.
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>Let us remember that, at the same time, Russia, with a population of 143 million and a GDP of $1,800bn, is aiming for an armed force of 2 million men by 2025, forming several dozen mechanized divisions, each armed with around 100 heavy tanks, 200 artillery pieces and 250 to 400 armored vehicles (Russian divisions average 10,000 men, instead of 20,000 as in NATO).
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>As for Poland, with a population of 38 million and a GDP of less than $700bn, it plans by 2035 to have 6 rather than the 4 mechanized divisions it has today, i.e. an armed force of 100,000 men, with 1,200 tanks, 2,500 infantry fighting vehicles, more than 700 155mm mobile artillery systems and 500 to 700 long-range rocket launchers : that is 3 times Germany’s planned conventional military power.
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>Even Estonia, with a population of 1.3 million and a GDP of less than $40bn (105 times less than Germany’s), currently has two infantry brigades totalling 5,000 men in peacetime, with around 100 modern ICVs and some 20 K9 Thunder 155mm self-propelled guns, and can mobilize up to 200,000 men in case of a conflict.
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>Although 8 times smaller than the Bundeswehr, the Estonian Army nevertheless mobilizes 25 times more resources, in terms of population and GDP, than its German counterpart.
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>Indeed, far from demonstrating Germany’s determination to assume its position in the European defensive system, General Mais’s statements point above all to the extraordinary disdain of Germany, and with it of all Western European countries, with regard to the Russian threat to Eastern European countries, whether or not they are members of NATO, and, in a way, to the flagrant hypocrisy of these same Western Europeans, who play the role of leaders without assuming their responsibilities.
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>In these circumstances, it’s hardly surprising that the Poles, Balts, Czechs and Slovaks are distrustful of a Europe that is strong in words but weak in deeds, and prefer American protection and South Korean partnerships to the lessons taught by Berlin and Paris in this field.
A surprisingly lucid analysis from a French blogger that usually is a staunch defender of French industrial and military interests.
I want to believe it. But my experience tells me this won’t happen. On the other side we are pretty good at doing things if we REALLY want to.
>The Bundeswehr wants to have the best equipped NATO division in Europe
Don’t we all
Not happening
They just ordered a HUGE amount of artillery ammo. This time they’re serious
Best equipped? Or most and best equipped?
Norwegian Army has small amounts of very good equipment.
F35, newly ordered leo 2 A8, k9 Thunder Spg’s, m416 for all.
6 comments
>There are statements which, on their own, are enough to demonstrate the extent of the strategic stall now affecting Western Europe. The statement made on July 17 by the Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr, General Alfons Mais, to Reuters, is certainly one of them. According to the officer, by 2025 Germany will have “the best-equipped NATO division in Europe”…
>
>As with insurance policies, the important points often lie beyond the catchy headlines. Indeed, the German Chief of Staff acknowledges that the Bundeswehr, the armed force of Europe’s leading economic and demographic power, does not currently have a functional mechanized division.
>
>Besides, this new division will only be equipped at 80%, perhaps 90%, by 2025, while the Bundeswehr will only provide 2 mechanized brigades and one motorized brigade, the 4th brigade being Dutch. A second German mechanized division could be operational by 2027, according to General Mais.
>
>Above all, this attempt at a reassuring statement highlights the very limited resources available to Western European countries, while at the same time hundreds of thousands of men, armed with tens of thousands of armored vehicles and thousands of artillery systems, are facing each other in Ukraine.
>
>In other words, boasting that a country of 83 million inhabitants with a GDP of $4.300bn will have a single operational division by 2025 would be utterly pathetic, if the consequences were not so critical for the security of the old continent.
>
>Let us remember that, at the same time, Russia, with a population of 143 million and a GDP of $1,800bn, is aiming for an armed force of 2 million men by 2025, forming several dozen mechanized divisions, each armed with around 100 heavy tanks, 200 artillery pieces and 250 to 400 armored vehicles (Russian divisions average 10,000 men, instead of 20,000 as in NATO).
>
>As for Poland, with a population of 38 million and a GDP of less than $700bn, it plans by 2035 to have 6 rather than the 4 mechanized divisions it has today, i.e. an armed force of 100,000 men, with 1,200 tanks, 2,500 infantry fighting vehicles, more than 700 155mm mobile artillery systems and 500 to 700 long-range rocket launchers : that is 3 times Germany’s planned conventional military power.
>
>Even Estonia, with a population of 1.3 million and a GDP of less than $40bn (105 times less than Germany’s), currently has two infantry brigades totalling 5,000 men in peacetime, with around 100 modern ICVs and some 20 K9 Thunder 155mm self-propelled guns, and can mobilize up to 200,000 men in case of a conflict.
>
>Although 8 times smaller than the Bundeswehr, the Estonian Army nevertheless mobilizes 25 times more resources, in terms of population and GDP, than its German counterpart.
>
>Indeed, far from demonstrating Germany’s determination to assume its position in the European defensive system, General Mais’s statements point above all to the extraordinary disdain of Germany, and with it of all Western European countries, with regard to the Russian threat to Eastern European countries, whether or not they are members of NATO, and, in a way, to the flagrant hypocrisy of these same Western Europeans, who play the role of leaders without assuming their responsibilities.
>
>In these circumstances, it’s hardly surprising that the Poles, Balts, Czechs and Slovaks are distrustful of a Europe that is strong in words but weak in deeds, and prefer American protection and South Korean partnerships to the lessons taught by Berlin and Paris in this field.
A surprisingly lucid analysis from a French blogger that usually is a staunch defender of French industrial and military interests.
I want to believe it. But my experience tells me this won’t happen. On the other side we are pretty good at doing things if we REALLY want to.
>The Bundeswehr wants to have the best equipped NATO division in Europe
Don’t we all
Not happening
They just ordered a HUGE amount of artillery ammo. This time they’re serious
Best equipped? Or most and best equipped?
Norwegian Army has small amounts of very good equipment.
F35, newly ordered leo 2 A8, k9 Thunder Spg’s, m416 for all.
Kind of hard to beat it equipmentwise.