Germany Lacks Combat-Ready Tanks For NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force - Reports

Germany does not have enough combat-ready tanks for the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, a special brigade which is part of the alliance's rapid reaction force, the German ZDF newspaper reported, citing internal documents of the Bundeswehr

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th March, 2023) Germany does not have enough combat-ready tanks for the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, a special brigade which is part of the alliance's rapid reaction force, the German ZDF newspaper reported, citing internal documents of the Bundeswehr.

The German army is hardly capable of fulfilling its obligations to NATO regarding the "Spearhead" international high-readiness task force, and its internal documents show tangible issues with the combat readiness of the tank forces of the high-readiness group, the news outlet reported on Monday.

The 393rd Tank Battalion of Thuringia, a part of the NATO high-readiness task force, is obliged to keep 30 out of 44 tanks combat-ready in case of an emergency, according to the newspaper. ZDF obtained a classified report of the 37th Panzergrenadier Brigade, according to which the battalion had only 20 combat-ready tanks in February, and in June, this number will drop to 14. The lack of combat-ready units will be filled temporarily with another tank battalion, the document said.

The newspaper said that there were no official reports regarding these problems, and if it was not for bureaucratic tricks, then the number of combat-ready vehicles in the battalion would have been even less, adding that tanks of the 104th Tank Battalion can hardly join NATO's "Spearhead." The maintenance period of "Spearhead"'s tanks was hastily extended from 12 to 24 months, ZDF said, adding that otherwise, 11 more Leopard 2 units would have been "suddenly" classified as not fit for service.

The Bundeswehr did not comment on the combat-readiness of its tanks, however, it stated that it would continue to perform its tasks under its NATO obligations.

Last week, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the German army was incapable of protecting the country in case of war, due to a lack of personnel and insufficient infrastructure. Die Welt newspaper, in turn, reported that similar problems were faced by the 9th Tank Brigade, which had only nine combat-ready Leopards out of 44.