Germany’s Defence Chief, Carsten Breuer, has instructed the military to be completely armed with weapons and other equipment by 2029. In the instruction, Breuer prioritizes weapons that need to be procured or developed most urgently, echoing in part priorities that NATO has already established
Germany’s Defence Chief Carsten Breuer has instructed the German armed forces to be completely equipped with weapons and other equipment by 2029, a paper seen by Reuters on Sunday reveals.
The paper titled “Directive Priorities for the Bolstering of Readiness”, signed by Breuer on May 19, indicated that Germany will achieve the target thanks to the funds provided following the relaxing of the nation’s debt brake in March.
Berlin’s defence ministry was not immediately available for comment. Breuer prioritizes in the directive the weapons that need to be bought or developed most quickly, partly following priorities that NATO has set before.
These include the improvement of Germany’s weakened air defences, and especially with a focus on catching drones. In the past year, Reuters sources said NATO would ask Berlin to at least quadruple its air defences, from longer-range systems like the Patriot to short-range systems.
A second priority is a capacity to strike deep precision, the document says, in effect hitting targets beyond 500 kilometres (310 miles) and well behind enemy lines.
Besides urging the replenishment of Germany’s ammunition supplies, Breuer also instructs Germany to increase stockpiling targets for all forms of ammunition. Other priorities outlined in the document are for the rapid development of Germany’s electronic warfare capabilities and the deployment of a robust system of “offensive and defensive capabilities” in space.
