Request for money for ammunition: Federal Ministry of Finance rebuffs Lambrecht

The Ukraine war has already lasted nine months and the Bundeswehr still lacks ammunition for its weapons.

Request for money for ammunition: Federal Ministry of Finance rebuffs Lambrecht

The Ukraine war has already lasted nine months and the Bundeswehr still lacks ammunition for its weapons. In order to secure additional funds for the procurement, Defense Minister Lambrecht knocks on the door of the Federal Ministry of Finance - and is harshly turned away.

Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht was rebuffed by the Ministry of Finance when she called for more money to solve the long-known ammunition crisis in the German armed forces. According to a letter from the finance department, there was obviously a "different perception" of a top-level talk with the arms industry on Monday. It is the answer to a letter that Lambrecht wrote to Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner, according to a "Spiegel" report.

Regarding the crisis meeting with industry, State Secretary for Finance Steffen Saebisch wrote to his colleague in the Defense Ministry (BMVg), State Secretary Benedikt Zimmer: "The industry representatives there expressly pointed out that, in their opinion, the sluggish availability of equipment and ammunition was not due to a lack of budgetary funds, but due to complicated, partly non-transparent and inconsistent planning of requirements as well as bureaucratic ordering processes of your company are required."

The common concern of strengthening the Bundeswehr has already been taken into account by a constantly growing defense budget and this year by the provision of the 100 billion special fund, the letter goes on to say. "As you know, the BMVg has every opportunity to use the funds accordingly in the course of its own technical prioritization as a specialist department. However, I have to state that you did not realize the need for ammunition procurement mentioned here, neither during the negotiations for the special fund and its economic plan, nor in the have expressed in the course of the parliamentary procedure."

Lambrecht has been criticized for the slow procurement of equipment and weapons for the Bundeswehr. There is a lack of understanding from the opposition, but also from the ranks of the traffic light parties, that nine months after the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, procurement for the German armed forces has not gotten off to a good enough start.