According to German media, since 2022, when then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a so-called era change in Germany's security and military policy, around 47,000 contracts for the procurement of military equipment have been concluded, with a total value of 111 billion euros. This, as stated, amounts to an average of more than 30 contracts per day.
How much equipment reached the troops?
However, the public and the Bundestag did not get a precise picture of how much of the ordered equipment actually reached the troops and how much was ready for use.
The Ministry, responding to a parliamentary question from Ditmar Barč from the Left, stated that an automated central analysis of all procurement projects is not possible and that manual checking of thousands of pages would require unpredictable human involvement and could lead to delays in projects important to defense.
"Germany's rearmament is turning into a financial black hole," the Berliner Zeitung assessed, pointing out that the huge number of contracts and billions of euros allocated to the Bundeswehr are not accompanied by a sufficiently clear insight into the results.
Barč assessed that this is an "alarming" signal, because the Ministry of Defense, as he claims, cannot state how many projects have actually been completed and functionally placed in service with the Bundeswehr.
According to him, the lack of control and overall oversight increases the risk that billions of euros of tax money and loans have ended up in delayed or unusable projects.
The case has opened a new debate about the transparency of the German military budget at a time when Pistorius is announcing an ambitious strengthening of the Bundeswehr.
Germany plans to increase the number of active soldiers to around 260,000, with a significant expansion of the reserve force, as part of a strategy to make the Bundeswehr the strongest conventional army in Europe.
Much more for defense
Last year, Berlin invested around 97 billion euros in defense, representing a 24 percent increase in spending compared to 2024, Euronews previously reported.
This means that Germany has now overtaken the United Kingdom to become Europe's largest defense investor, as well as the fourth largest in the world, behind the United States ($854 billion), China ($336 billion) and Russia ($190 billion).
With a package of 153 major projects underway, Germany aims to acquire new weapons systems, modernize equipment, and strengthen infrastructure and cybersecurity, retired Colonel Ralf Thiele, president of EuroDefense Germany, told Europe in Motion.
The Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, is strengthening its infantry brigades with additional Puma-type vehicles, as well as an order for 237 Infanterist der Zukunft systems, by 2029, worth billions.
Strengthening in all sectors
It is a modular, integrated combat system designed to provide infantry soldiers with significantly greater firepower, protection, mobility, combat command and training, reports Euronews.
The military is also focusing on closing its air defense gaps, with plans to acquire up to 600 Skyranger 30 self-propelled air defense systems, as well as 20 new Eurofighter jets, along with significant investments in guided missile systems, including “large orders for Patriot, IRST and Meteor,” he said.
Naval forces are also set to be expanded, with plans to acquire up to 42 manned vessels integrated with 50 unmanned systems, “including new corvettes and submarines.”
“Further strategic priorities relate to military space programs,” said Tile, with investments in spy satellites, spacecraft and laser defense systems in space.
He explained that these investments will make the German military "the strongest conventional armed force in Europe."
