It is actually no secret that German military equipment is not in particularly good shape. Defense Minister Lambrecht is nevertheless disturbed by the numbers now published on the lack of operational capability of the Panzerhaubitze 2000. She calls for an internal clarification and wants to investigate the processes.
After the media reports about failures of the “Puma” infantry fighting vehicle and the Panzerhaubitze 2000, Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht criticized the disclosure of internal information about the operational capability of military equipment. It’s not just about the security of Germany, but “also of our allies,” said Lambrecht during a visit to Slovakia. Problems with operational readiness would have to be dealt with “responsibly, internally, with the industry and not publicly”.
“I actually expect everyone who is also active in this context to deal with such information very responsibly,” said Lambrecht at the Lest military training area in central Slovakia. “You have a higher task than personal self-portrayal.” This is not just an “appeal”, but she will “follow up all these processes with the appropriate options that I have available”.
The “Bild” newspaper had previously reported, citing a confidential paper, that currently only one in three of around 105 self-propelled howitzers 2000 in the Bundeswehr is operational. Lambrecht did not want to comment on these numbers. She referred to “the security of the Federal Republic of Germany”. It’s important to have those artillery pieces operational, she said. “That’s why we are constantly working with the industry to ensure that we have the appropriate availability.”
A few days earlier, the “Spiegel” had reported massive technical problems with the infantry fighting vehicle “Puma”. He is now unavailable for deployment as part of NATO’s Rapid Reaction Force, which Germany will take command of on January 1st.
Here the industry is “responsible” for repairing the infantry fighting vehicle, Lambrecht affirmed. This task must be fulfilled “very quickly”. She also expects “a reliable perspective” from the armaments companies involved, Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, for the long-term operational readiness of the “Puma,” said the minister. “If that is not shown, then we have to make a decision – to the effect that we may not continue to use this system.”
