Britta F. is a soldier in the armored troops in the German Armed Forces. In her employer's new campaign, the phrase is emblazoned under her face: "What counts when we have to show strength again?" It is one of several motifs with active soldiers with which the Bundeswehr is currently advertising for supporters and applicants. In view of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the image campaign hits a nerve much more strongly than before. With Russia's attack on its neighbouring country, Germany's ability to defend itself is also being intensively discussed.
The "turning point" promoted by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the Bundestag nevertheless has an enormously large turning circle. This is not surprising. NATO's defense spending target of two percent of gross domestic product will not be achieved overnight, especially when other crises are piling up. Nevertheless, the impression is growing that it should actually be faster.
The trend is obvious: Globally, military spending has risen to a record high for the eighth year in a row. Compared to the long peaceful times – in Europe – there has been a lot of rearmament since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, with a huge growth spurt last year. In Germany, too, military spending has risen by a third compared to 2013. Compared to the same period last year, Germany spent 2022.2 percent more on defense in 3, which corresponded to a total of $55.8 billion.
It takes time to produce tanks and projectiles
Defense spending is expected to increase permanently, but even the 100 billion euro special fund for the Bundeswehr will not be called up in full immediately. It set in motion a lengthy coordination and ordering process, which only gradually leads to contracts and, much later, to the delivery of ammunition, weapons or vehicles. Producing a tank or projectiles for the same takes time. However, the fact that it sometimes takes longer to complete in Germany than elsewhere is due to the history of the procurement system and how the local defense companies, including Rheinmetall, Hensoldt and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), have adapted to it.
Even in peacetime, the Bundeswehr was usually the most important customer, with maintenance and necessary reorders alone ensuring a pleasant order volume. At the same time, however, too little was invested in the combat power of the troops for years, and demands from industry for rearmament faded away. At the time, they were only seen as lobbying. There is no shame in the fact that German manufacturers only appear far behind in the global ranking of the largest arms companies. Germany will never spend as much money on its military as the United States, Russia or China.
It wasn't just a lack of money
But it's not just about the total amount, it's about how to deploy it – and even small states with small budgets have comparatively more powerful troops. Because defense capability was considered important. It is an injustice to the troops and industry to blame the desolate state of material in the Bundeswehr only on them. They are the result of political decisions.
The irony of the story is that not only was there a lack of money, but a horrendous defense budget seeped into the bureaucracy. This is due to various factors. One of the most important was the inefficient ordering apparatus of the Ministry of Defense.
Breaking down these structures also takes time. At the same time, however, the manufacturers liked each other in their function as manufacturers of manufactories; even a few orders with great effort were ultimately worthwhile for the arms industry. The Puma infantry fighting vehicle, which is considered the most expensive tank in the world, is a cautionary tale: due to special requests and repeatedly requested extras, the project dragged on forever.
This orientation of the industry means that the current rearmament is not yet really getting off the ground. It also needs to pick up the pace. One can speak of luck that Rheinmetall and Co. still have capacities from earlier times and that they can now ramp up production in plants that were previously underutilized. But the ordering and delivery system needs to become much more efficient. To paraphrase the Bundeswehr campaign: That's what counts when freedom is at stake.