Reports from Germany indicate that the combat readiness of its army has significantly declined over the past three years, now lower than it was at the time of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Numerous military officials, lawmakers, and defense experts shared these concerns with Reuters.
Despite increased defense spending, experts warn that the country will face years of difficulties, particularly due to shortages in air defense, artillery, and soldiers.
“Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we had eight brigades at around 65% readiness,” Colonel Andre Wuestner, head of the German Armed Forces Association, told Reuters in an interview.
He further explained that sending weapons, ammunition, and equipment to Ukraine, along with accelerating training efforts in Germany, has adversely affected the state of military equipment. “Together, this means the German land forces are down to a readiness of around 50%,” he said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz had promised to modernize Germany’s outdated military following Russia’s invasion, but three years later, fulfilling the commitment to provide NATO with two divisions by 2025 and 2027 has proven to be a significant challenge.
Sources familiar with the matter noted that Scholz’s ambitious promise has faltered, citing a lack of urgency, a broken procurement system, and financial difficulties. Berlin has failed to fully equip troops for the NATO division by early 2025 and, according to sources, remains without sufficient air defense systems. Its pledge for a NATO division by 2027 is “long out of our reach,” said a military source.
Additionally, Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has again rejected the U.S. administration’s call for defense spending to reach 5% of GDP, pointing out that even the U.S. itself does not meet that target.
