According to the unanimous opinion of several traffic light politicians, the modernization of the Bundeswehr with the help of the special fund of 100 billion euros is not progressing quickly enough. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), Chairwoman of the Defense Committee, complains that eight months after Scholz’s announcement of the extra budget, there is a lack of clarity about what the money should be spent on. “To date, there is no coordinated list of specific projects in the ministry that are to be financed from the special fund,” said Strack-Zimmermann Süddeutsche Zeitung. “That has to change quickly. I expect decisions to be made.”
Just a few days after the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced in his speech at the turn of the century that additional billions would put the Bundeswehr back in a position to defend the country and the alliance. The legal basis for this was created in parliament in the summer. The constitution had to be changed. The 100 billion euros are loans.
The Bundestag is currently deliberating on the 2023 budget. What is to be financed from the special fund must be set out in a business plan. Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) has decided which models should be purchased for some major armament projects – new fighter jets, for example, or heavy transport helicopters. But the concrete implementation of the projects is dragging on. In addition, the views in the ministry seem to differ as to what modern armed forces should look like and what needs to be procured for them.
The auditors criticize the draft as far too vague
These uncertainties have been reflected in the economic plan. The draft submitted so far failed an examination by the Federal Court of Auditors because it remained too vague in large parts and the number of investment projects registered, 150 in number, even exceeded the available sum of 100 billion euros. This is based on a test report that is available to the SZ. The ministry has been asked to improve the economic plan and says it is busy doing so.
The criticism of the auditors also occupies the budget politicians, with them the irritation is growing. Andreas Schwarz (SPD), for example, is surprised that hardly any money should be spent on artillery from the special fund. On the one hand, NATO is demanding stronger army units from Germany in the future, and on the other hand, Berlin has handed over 14 of its already only 109 self-propelled howitzers to the Ukraine. It has been clear for a long time that a replacement must be procured quickly.
According to SZ information, the ministry has still not clarified which models they want to buy, for example whether they should move on wheels or chains in the future. From the point of view of the housekeeper Schwarz, a window of opportunity for financing is just closing. “The Ukraine war illustrates the importance of artillery,” Schwarz told the SZ. He would be willing to provide money for it. Only the preparatory work would have to be done: “There are still improvements to be made here,” said Schwarz.
For Sebastian Schäfer, budget politician for the Greens, there is not enough coming out of the Ministry of Defense overall: “What we are missing are sufficiently specific procurement templates.” In view of the turning point, “many things are still going too slowly”. The FDP politician Strack-Zimmermann explained: The Ministry of Defense was not at all prepared to deal with such a sum. “The problem is: We now have money for the Bundeswehr, but the structures have remained unchanged.”