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 military bloc’s defense, according to Bild. 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”, with a staff shortage of 21% last month and lack of the necessary equipment. The alleged memo also claims that the problem is not confined to that unit, but is widespread in the military. The most important details in this text are that Berlin's obligations to NATO are prioritizing the needs of the rest of the Bundeswehr, and that the division will only be able to produce a limited combat readiness in 2025 due to underfunding and military aid provided to Ukraine. 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, and that a considerable number of tanks in the German military were not operational.