Status: 08.07.2022 08:23
More speed and efficiency in the procurement of weapons and material from the Bundeswehr – the Bundestag passed a corresponding law in the evening. This should allow orders to be placed more quickly.
In order to quickly improve the equipment of the Bundeswehr, the Bundestag has decided on various measures for accelerated procurement. The law, which was passed late on Thursday evening, will make it possible for an initial period of three and a half years to award contracts faster than was possible under the previous legal situation.
Increase the operational capability of the Bundeswehr
Various procurements should be able to be bundled, joint procurement with European partners should be made easier and complaints against the awarding of orders to competing suppliers should be dealt with more quickly.
“In order for the Bundeswehr to be able to continue to fulfill its tasks for national and alliance defense without restrictions in view of the changed security threat situation, its operational capability must be increased immediately and as quickly as possible,” said the cabinet decision more than two weeks ago.
Many new purchases planned
The Bundestag decision is also related to the special fund for the army in the amount of 100 billion euros. As a reaction to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the Bundestag and Bundesrat decided on the special program a few weeks ago.
The money is to be used, among other things, to purchase new planes, helicopters, ships and tanks. In the past, such procurement projects regularly dragged on. The procurement law of the Bundeswehr is considered bureaucratic, cumbersome and in need of reform. This problem should be defused by the measures that have now been decided.
Högl: Repair weapons yourself
Against this background, the Bundestag Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl (SPD), pointed out that the Bundeswehr would like to have more weapons repaired itself. “We should make more use of the skills of our troops who want to repair their device themselves,” Högl told the t-online portal. “We’re at a high level there, so we should rely more on our own abilities.”
So far, according to t-online, the army has only been allowed to repair almost half of the approximately 50 main weapon systems itself for legal reasons. The aim of an expansion must be “to improve operational readiness,” said Högl. “In order for this to succeed, we should also rethink the subject of stocking spare parts and tools.”
The military commissioner referred to the speed factor: “With the war in Ukraine, we can see that things may have to be done quickly: For example, if our soldiers are transferred to the eastern flank so that they can support NATO partners in the east,” said you.