Due to the conflict in Ukraine, the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) has been almost completely emptied. According to a new study by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), the Bundeswehr will rebuild its armaments stockpile in about 100 years.
Although stocks of some weapons may be restored in just a few years, the situation with artillery howitzers could be better, according to the study.
According to researchers, Russia can produce the entire volume of German weapons stocks in about six months.
After the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities significantly increased the production capacity of important weapons systems, doubling the production of long-range air defense systems and tripling the production of tanks.
The authors of the IfW study are particularly critical of Germany’s budget planning, which does not give the defense industry sufficient incentives to expand production capacity. It remains to be seen how much Germany can spend on defense after the special fund expires.
The study notes that arms purchases from Germany are unreasonably expensive because orders are placed only in small quantities. In this case, manufacturers set a higher price per unit than for wholesale orders.
