The German Ministry of Defense carries out a huge expansion process in the arms industry

During his first term as Minister of Defense in Germany, Boris Pistorius faced difficulty in securing the necessary funding to reform the long -suffering armed forces. But after the new government gave him a huge amount of 650 billion euros for the next five years, the main challenge in front of him will remain his spending.

Pistorius must deal with the bureaucracy of purchases, which was previously seven years ago to choose a new offensive gun, and more than a contract to buy a helmet for helicopters. He will have to oversee a huge expansion process in the weapons industry, which is already suffering from a shortage of production capacity.

Billions of dollars must be allocated to tasks, such as updating the barracks, some of which suffer a “catastrophic” case due to the dilapidated “plaster” and mold, according to the Armed Forces Control Authority.

Pistorius said this week, that the country “will finally be able to secure what it needs”, after Berlin announced that the German defense budget will reach 162 billion euros by 2029, including the support provided to Ukraine, an increase of 70% on this year, but he warned: “All this should enhance the industrial productive capacity quickly, expand its scope and adapt to our needs And our requests. ”

These plans are placed Germany on the right track to achieve the goal of the new NATO (NATO), which is to spend 3.5% of GDP on the basic defense by 2029, that is, six years before the newly agreed date of the Western Military Alliance.

Many experts believe that Germany, which is planning to enter voluntary military service, will eventually have to adopt a mandatory model, which is estimated at the Munich -based Ivo Institute, that it will cost the government 3.2 billion euros annually.

Germany has already made progress in the reform of the German army since the war began in Ukraine in 2022, when the adviser, Olaf Schultz, revealed a special fund of 100 billion euros to equip the army. At that time, the army commander warned that his forces “have almost no weapon.”

A new scale is possible, thanks to the decision of the new Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, to allow unlimited borrowing to re -establish Germany as the strongest traditional army in Europe. The country will borrow 380 billion euros from now until 2029, to cover the costs of this heavy spending.

But spending these huge sums will constitute tremendous challenges for the German defense system. The German Army’s huge purchasing office in Coplins – which includes 11 thousand and 800 employees – was known in the past for its careful follow -up to national regulations, European Union regulations, and the development of complex customs requirements.

The Ministry of Finance in Berlin was another obstacle to rapid purchases, as officials discussed the lack of military experience, the number of submarines that the German navy already needed.

Pistorius has already achieved some success in changing culture, calling for speed instead of what he called “gold -coated solutions.” Germany has used the 100 billion euros fund to request a series of expensive products, including F-35 combat aircraft, Xinok helicopters, and a “euro-3” air defense system from Israel. However, there are still frustrations. “Sometimes, it may take just a contract, a full year,” says one of the senior officials.

Even after ordering the products, suppliers may be delayed in delivery amid enormous industrial bottlenecks. “When you ask the Patriot system today, they say: Thank you for your request, you will receive it in 2028,” the senior official said, referring to the US air defense system.

“When you look at the numbers currently circulating in Berlin, you find it concerned,” says an executive of a mid -size German -sized arms manufacturing company. Analysts warn of the risks of bad purchase and waste decisions, and to manipulate prices by producers, amid a great rise in demand.

“The more we need money to exchange money quickly, the greater the risk of using it in the easiest and most expensive technologies, which may be old,” said the prominent colleague at the Brussels Research Center, based in Brussels, Gontram Wolf. He adds that Germany – with its focus on its national priorities – has lost the opportunity to develop comprehensive European solutions. Meretz is still opposing the joint borrowing of the European Union, which would help the smaller countries increase their military spending.

The actors in the “old” industry, such as “Renmate”, differ to produce artillery and ammunition, with emerging companies, such as “Heling”, developed artificial intelligence and drone, about the lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine, and how to share the spoils of the defense budget.

The CEO of Renmate, Armin Babrger, whose company received 42 billion euros from the 100 billion euros Fund, said that “the traditional war has returned.” But the co -founder of “Heling”, Gondbert Sherf, says: “We still count tanks, ships and aircraft. This is a mistake. ” “This contradiction is wrong.” In the end, we need to get the right mix, the mixture that adapts to the (NATO) method of fighting, and we have to get it quickly. ” On the “Financial Times”