Russia's war of aggression has shown that the speed factor plays a major role in an army, says Defense Commissioner Högl. That's why the SPD politician would like the Bundeswehr to repair more weapons themselves. So far, this is probably only legally possible for half of them.
The Bundestag Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl, would like the Bundeswehr to repair more weapons themselves. "We should make more use of the skills of our troops, who want to repair their devices themselves," said SPD politician Högl to the "t-online.de" portal. "We're at a high level there, so we should rely more on our own abilities."
So far, according to the portal, 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.
Late on Thursday evening, the Bundestag agenda will include voting on a draft law that is intended to make it easier to procure equipment for the Bundeswehr. For this purpose, rules for awarding contracts are relaxed. Högl called the proposed legislation a step in the right direction to "accelerate the procedures and make better use of the leeway".
But "a rethinking in people's minds" is also important, added the social democrat. "That means listening more to the troops when decisions are being made and streamlining responsibilities and processes." Högl also called for a European approach to the entire procurement system.
In mid-March, the Commissioner for the Armed Forces published its annual report, describing deficiencies and material deficits in the Bundeswehr's operations as "alarming". "The operational readiness of large equipment was sometimes just under 50 percent. Everyday items of equipment such as protective vests or winter jackets were sometimes only sent to the area of operation," she wrote at the time. "This is completely unacceptable. And this must be improved."
