Non-operational tanks
The federal government schedules a “Puma” crisis talk
12/18/2022 2:51 p.m
18 infantry fighting vehicles of the “Puma” type cannot currently be deployed. This puts the Bundeswehr in trouble at NATO. “Marder” now have to serve for their rapid reaction force. Defense Minister Lambrecht invites you to a crisis meeting in Berlin on Monday.
Because of the acute defects in the “Puma” infantry fighting vehicle, the heads of the Ministry of Defense and the Bundeswehr are coming together for a crisis meeting on Monday. Circles from the ministry in Berlin confirmed the relevant information from the daily newspaper “Welt”. According to a “Spiegel” report, 18 “Pumas”, which were intended for the NATO rapid reaction force next year, are not operational. The Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Eberhard Zorn, immediately promised a quick clarification. The Bundeswehr leaders emphasized that the contribution to the alliance was not in danger.
According to ministry circles, department head Christine Lambrecht will meet with Zorn, the army inspector Alfons Mais, the commander of the 10th Panzer Division, Major General Ruprecht von Butler, and Benedikt Zimmer, the state secretary responsible for armaments, on Monday morning. According to “Spiegel”, von Butler reported in a “confidential fire mail to the inspector of the army” last week that “after a shooting exercise of 18 ultra-modern ‘Puma’ infantry fighting vehicles, not a single one is ready for action”. According to the report, they are now to be replaced by the “old but proven Marder infantry fighting vehicle” for the time being.
“We put a lot of money into the Puma”
Zorn wrote on Twitter: “We are doing everything we can to quickly restore the operational readiness of the ‘Puma'”. “Together with specialists from the armaments industry,” he would immediately start assessing the damage. At the same time, Zorn emphasized: “We will fulfill our obligations to NATO from January 1, 2023.” Lieutenant General Mais explained that an “extensive inventory” is currently being made. “The aim is to restore the operational readiness of the infantry fighting vehicle as quickly as possible.” The Bundeswehr’s contribution to the alliance “can continue to be ensured,” Mais also emphasized.
The chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, called for a quick solution to the problem. She doesn’t know any details yet, but she expects those responsible to “clarify very quickly where the error is and how the problem can be solved,” said the FDP politician to the “Handelsblatt”. “After all, we put a lot of money into the Puma.”
The CDU defense expert Henning Otte asked Lambrecht to make the topic a “boss thing”. The Bundeswehr will take on more responsibility in NATO with the rapid reaction force from the beginning of the year, he told the “Rheinische Post”. A quick solution is called for “so that we don’t let our friends in NATO down”.