Under Staffed.. Under Equipped.. Germany’s Army

CompM3 on a G36. Image via Aimpoint


The German Bundeswehr is still underequipped, understaffed and overly bureaucratic, a new parliamentary report has revealed.

The Germans are considered a very strong ally both to the US and to Europe as a whole when it comes to backing the continent in conflicts. Reports like this may shift that perception back towards France and the UK taking lions’ shares back in the division of European defense.

German soldiers sometimes have to rely on civilian helicopters to transport them around in Afghanistan, while vital equipment such as body armor has to be borrowed, according to the new parliamentary Bundeswehr report presented on Tuesday. – DW.com


The biggest problem that Bundeswehr soldiers complained about was the lack of equipment, despite repeated government promises, dating back to a 2014 NATO summit, of a change in direction.

This same time last year the German’s were citing a lack of equipment, even as the began to take over the European eastern readiness front. Officials claimed the Bundeswehr would be ready to meet their obligations and all necessary equipment would be procured… but at this point is it just a song and dance?

And what does that mean for us here in the US? Simple, as NATO’s serious force projection element any conflict the German’s cannot shoulder will very likely become our problem. Unless a European ally can bolster and cover Bundeswehr forces enough to solve it on a smaller scale it will be US Calvary once again riding across a hill.

Keith Finch
Keith is the former Editor-in-Chief of GAT Marketing Agency, Inc. He got told there was a mountain of other things that needed doing, so he does those now and writes here when he can. editor@gatdaily.com A USMC Infantry Veteran and Small Arms and Artillery Technician, Keith covers the evolving training and technology from across the shooting industry. Teaching since 2009, he covers local concealed carry courses, intermediate and advanced rifle courses, handgun, red dot handgun, bullpups, AKs, and home defense courses for civilians, military client requests, and law enforcement client requests.