The German army lacks essential military munitions, with army units having to borrow tanks and night vision devices from each other.
The Commissioner of the Bundestag, Hans-Peter Bartels (SPD), criticized a particularly controversial case, concerning Saxony’s Infantry Battalion 371. The battalion represents the core component of NATO rapid reaction forces and is set to be deployed in a few days.
“It is completely unacceptable when nearly 15,000 pieces of equipment are being gathered throughout the rest of the Bundeswehr for some 900 German soldiers of the NATO Response Force," Bartels said.
According to a secret report, which the newspaper refers to, the battalion had to "borrow" a total of 14,792 pieces of equipment in 56 other army units.
"The equipment gaps need to be closed quickly. [Otherwise] the soldiers – both in training and deployment — are bearing losses for this," Bartels explained.
