Munitions summit in the Chancellery: Klingbeil calls for a rapid build-up of armaments capacities

Ammunition Summit in the Chancellery
Klingbeil calls for a rapid build-up of armament capacities

Because of the austerity measures in the Bundeswehr in recent years, the industry has also shut down the production of ammunition and other armaments. Now this error should be fixed as quickly as possible – otherwise you would have to buy abroad, says SPD leader Klingbeil.

In view of the lack of equipment in the Bundeswehr, SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has called on the German defense industry to quickly build up production capacities. Overall, the misconception that there are large cupboards somewhere with personal equipment for soldiers or tanks must be dispelled. “Everything has to be produced,” said Klingbeil on the ARD program “Report from Berlin”.

If the German armaments industry, which has been reducing more and more capacities over the past few years, cannot do this, one must also look for armaments abroad. The USA or other NATO countries could be considered. “One thing is clear: we need fast, good equipment from the Bundeswehr, and we have to work flat out on that,” said Klingbeil.

The SPD chairman said that after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 or Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government statement on February 27, he had expected the industry to rebuild these capacities “at a tremendous speed”. “But waiting and saying, first let’s see what politics offers us, that’s not an attitude with which we will now successfully reduce these deficits.” On February 27, Scholz announced a massive upgrade and a special program for the Bundeswehr worth 100 billion euros.

The Bundeswehr suffers from a lack of ammunition, for example, because too little was ordered for years. The German industry had reduced their capacities because of the austerity measures or stopped production. Now there is also stronger demand from the ranks of the allies. The Chancellery wants to talk to selected representatives of the armaments industry this Monday about how production can be expanded and accelerated.

The opposition Union had accused Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht of the SPD of having made little progress with the purchase of new weapons and equipment despite the 100 billion euro special pot.

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