DThe Union in the Bundestag reprimands Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) for what she sees as the sluggish clarification of the recent failures of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle. “The holder of the authority to command and command seems more important than finally clearing up and tidying up his own Christmas vacation,” said the defense policy spokesman for the Union faction, Florian Hahn (CSU), the “world” on Monday. “If you are wondering about current deficiencies in the Bundeswehr, you can say: the fish stinks from the head.” The minister broke her own promise to create transparency as soon as possible.

Two weeks ago it became known that all 18 of the tanks used during a firing exercise by the Bundeswehr for participation in the NATO intervention force VJTF had failed. The tracked vehicle, which was plagued by numerous technical problems, was only declared fit for combat in 2021. The armaments companies Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) then announced shortly before Christmas that they intended to repair the defective infantry fighting vehicle by mid-January at the latest.

Hahn asked the ministry for the current status and the results of an announced comprehensive assessment of the situation – without an answer, as he says. Hahn doubts that the industry is blamed one-sidedly: “The minister was obviously completely wrong in the initial diagnosis.”

At the turn of the year, Germany took over the leadership of the VJTF Rapid Reaction Force, which rotates among the NATO members. The Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), also known as “Spearhead”, is constantly on alert and is said to be able to mobilize up to 20,000 soldiers within a few days and move them to crisis areas.