Tag: Ukraine

German Cabinet approves new military service model to boost numbers

File Photo: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (r) and Boris Pistorius, German Minister of Defence, talk at the start of the German Cabinet meeting on June 12, 2024 in Berlin. Germany's Cabinet approved legislation introducing a new form of military service on November 06, according to government sources | Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Russia’s war on Ukraine has prompted Germany to revisit its defence posture, which increasingly suffered from a lack of investment since the end of the Cold War as imminent threats appeared to diminish. The legislation must now pass through Germany’s two houses of parliament. It could come into force in May of next year.

German Defence Ministry faces shortfall of €6 billion

German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius is pictured during an interview with the German Press Agency (DPA) on November 04, 2024 in Berlin | Photo: Carsten Koall//dpa

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that the Bundeswehr needs around €58 billion ($63 billion) in 2025 to quickly close capability gaps. “As things stand, we will be allocated around €52 billion”, he said, adding, “That means we will be short of almost €6 billion next year.”

Legal trouble for defence, drone companies

Chinese drone manufacturer DJI is facing trouble doing business in the U.S with all kinds of legal hurdles and has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Pentagon, while Raytheon has been fined almost $1 billion and Sweden’s Saab has been subpoenaed for its sale of Gripen fighters to Brazil.

Ukraine orders artillery ammo plant from Rheinmetall

155 mm ammunition | Photo: Rheinmetall

The order is for a turnkey factory that will become a ‘Ukrainian Centre of Excellence for Ammunition’ to be operated by a Rheinmetall joint venture with a Ukrainian state-owned company, that will begin production within 24 months to manufacture hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery ammunition per year.

German defence chief warns of Russian military build-up

Carsten Breuer, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, speaks at the opening of the Bundeswehr Day at the Holzdorf site at Saxony-Anhalt, Holzdorf-Schoenewalde on June 08, 2024. Breuer has said he sees a growing danger in Russia's military build-up | Photo: Frank Hammerschmidt/dpa

“The Russian army increases its number of tanks by 1,000 to 1,500 additional units every year. The five largest European NATO member states together have just half of that in their inventory,” said Germany’s chief of defence Carsten Breuer.

Scholz addresses criticism of German defence spending

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) is shown various combat exercises during his visit to the mountain infantry brigade on the Reiteralpe | Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa

Scholz’s coalition has faced criticism over the small increase in the 2025 budget for defence. “In 2017, we still spent €37 billion ($42 billion) on defence. Now, with the use of the special fund, the Bundeswehr‘s budget is €75 billion. That’s more or less a doubling,” Scholz said.

Germany’s Baerbock backs U.S. missiles to deter Russia

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks during a press conference | Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa

The U.S. and German governments announced plans for the deployment of U.S. missile systems that could reach Russia. These include nuclear-capable Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 2,500 kilometres, SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and newly-developed hypersonic missiles.

Germany says Hungary’s EU presidency causing ‘a lot of damage’

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited former U.S. President Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago in Florida in a trip he labelled "Peace mission 5.0" on July 12, 2024 | Photo: Twitter/X feed of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán

Deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner said that Orbán could travel wherever he wanted, adding, “What is not acceptable is that he travels through the world with the impression that he is doing so on behalf of others. And there will certainly be further discussion about how to deal with this.”

Pushback against conscription plans in Germany

Two female soldiers of the German Armed Forces, Vivian T. (L) and Ramona F. (R) walk across the grounds of Lueneburg's Theodor Koerner Barracks in Lower Saxony on November 17, 2022 | File Photo: Philipp Schulze/dpa

Economic researchers and partners in the ruling coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz have warned of immense economic costs and legal difficulties that could result from plans for military conscription proposed by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in June in an attempt to boost the numbers of the German armed forces.

Kremlin slams plans for long-range U.S. weapons in Germany

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov complains about support for Ukraine from Germany, France, the UK and the USA | File Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/KREMLIN/dpa

Russia has criticized the planned stationing of long-range US weapons in Germany as a return to the Cold War, after German leaders said the step was necessary due to the increased threat posed by Russia to European security. “We are well on the way to a Cold War. This has all happened before,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

U.S. announces $2.35B military aid for Ukraine

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Gerard Holodak, with the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB), fires an M136E1 AT4-CS confined space light anti-armour weapon at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on October 12, 2017 | Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Westin Warburton

The latest round of military aid worth USD 150 million is the Biden administration’s 60th tranche of aid since August 2021, including artillery and ammunition from its own inventories, in addition to purchases of air defence systems worth USD 2.2 billion for Ukraine.

U.S. postpones military exercise in Georgia

Members of Georgian special operations forces and Green Berets with U.S. Army 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) perform a training dive in Batumi, Georgia, October 25, 2023 in Exercise Georgian Wave | Photo: U.S. Army/Staff Sgt. Laura Bauer

The Pentagon said last week the U.S. will indefinitely postpone a military exercise in Georgia ‘due to the Georgian government’s false accusations against the United States and other western entities, to pressure Georgia to open a second front against Russia to alleviate pressure on Ukraine, and of participating in two coup attempts against the ruling party.’