German duties to NATO cannot be met - Bild

Germany is failing to live up to its NATO commitments in terms of personnel and equipment it can provide for the miliatary bloc’s defense, Bild has reported. An internal appraisal by the nation’s Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, claims that a lack of funding and Berlin’s military aid to Kiev are among the reasons for the current state of affairs. The combat readiness of the division which Germany pledged to put at NATO’s disposal by 2025 will only be “limited,” and the problem is not confined to that unit, but is widespread in the military. In late February, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius acknowledged that Berlin does not have “armed forces that are capable of defending [the country], that is, capable of defending against an offensive, brutally waged aggressive war.” The head of the German Armed Forces Association (DBwV), Colonel Andre Wustner, warned that the military was facing shortages of essential hardware as a result of the weapon shipments to Ukraine. The new unit is said to have faced a staff shortage of 21% last month and lacks the necessary equipment, which “will not be sufficiently available in the foreseeable