Bundeswehr: Lambrecht: Infantry fighting vehicle for Kyiv not in active stock

armed forces
Lambrecht: Infantry fighting vehicle for Kyiv not in active stock

Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Spranger (M) in front of a Marder infantry fighting vehicle in the Erzgebirge barracks in Marienberg. photo

© Robert Michael/dpa

Because of the breakdowns at the Puma, Germany is now providing the older Marder infantry fighting vehicle for the NATO Rapid Reaction Force. Defense Minister Lambrecht visits the troops of the Bundeswehr in the Ore Mountains.

Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht sees the promised delivery of 40 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine and the planned training package on course. “The promise, as it was made, will also be made,” said the SPD politician in a barracks in Marienberg, Saxony. Lambrecht made it clear that the martens do not come from the active population of the Bundeswehr.

According to information from the German Press Agency, the latest plans envisage that 20 of the tanks will come from Bundeswehr stocks and 20 more from the Rheinmetall armaments group. For this, Greece was asked to accept delays in the delivery of further martens for a certain period of time. In addition to providing them, Germany had also promised to train the Ukrainians on the weapon system.

Lambrecht visit to Rapid Reaction Force

Lambrecht visited German soldiers of the NATO Rapid Reaction Force (VJTF) in Marienberg. She found out about the performance of two Panzergrenadier companies, which are also equipped with the Marder infantry fighting vehicle and are part of the NATO spearhead on increased operational readiness.

Lambrecht had stopped an obligation to use the more modern Puma infantry fighting vehicle due to technical defects. Now two companies of the Panzergrenadierbataillon 371 with their Marder infantry fighting vehicles are taking over the task of the rapid reaction force. 400 soldiers and support forces are ready there. “That was a very important signal to NATO, to our allies. We stand by our commitments, even under such special conditions,” said Lambrecht.

Panzergrenadiers demonstrate skills

In the Erzgebirge barracks, the Panzergrenadiers and the crews of the Marder infantry fighting vehicle showed their skills. “This is a very robust vehicle, very off-road, agile and can be used in almost any scenario. There is a long experience with this vehicle,” said a soldier. “It doesn’t really matter to us how we’re deployed because we’re ready to go.”

The MELLS anti-tank system, with which guided missiles can be fired from tanks or dismounted soldiers, was also demonstrated. “We have a hit probability of 95 percent, in 5 percent there can be a technical failure,” said one of the soldiers, none of whom wanted to be named. “The riflemen are trained in such a way that practically every shot is intended to destroy a main battle tank.”

VJTF central element of the deterrence strategy

The VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force) was set up during the first major Ukraine crisis after 2014 and has since been a central element of the deterrence strategy against Russia. It also serves to reassure the NATO partners on the alliance’s eastern flank.

According to the Bundeswehr, the land component of the NATO spearhead includes around 11,500 soldiers from nine NATO countries. Among them are about 8,000 men and women from Germany who have to be ready to leave within two to seven days. According to the information, there are also other German forces, such as around 2,600 soldiers from the Air Force and up to 700 from the Navy.

dpa

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