Due to the delivery of weapons and material to the Ukraine, the equipment level of the German Army has continued to deteriorate in recent months. In particular, the transfer of 14 German Panzerhaubitzen 2000 to the Ukrainian armed forces may have significantly weakened their own artillery capabilities.
In order to replace the howitzers handed over to the Ukraine, the Federal Ministry of Defense now wants to purchase up to 14 Panzerhaubitzen 2000. This emerges from a response from the ministry to a small question from Jens Lehmann, a directly elected CDU member of the Bundestag from Leipzig and a member of the Defense Committee of the German Bundestag.
As the BMVg writes in the answer, the Federal Ministry of Defense plans to procure up to 14 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers with funds from the individual plan 60 "subject to the establishment of an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Finance". It is intended to present the necessary template to the committees of the German Bundestag in the current year for their approval.
Within the framework of the title mentioned in Section 60, a total of EUR 2.2 billion has been earmarked for the current year for “upgrading partner states in the areas of security, defense and stabilisation”. Most of this is likely to be earmarked for supporting Ukraine.
The 14 Bundeswehr howitzers were handed over in close cooperation with the Netherlands, which also handed over weapon systems of the same type to the Ukraine. Both countries also work closely together in training Ukrainian soldiers.
Member of Parliament Jens Lehmann comments on the BMVg's response with the words: "I am very happy that the Bundeswehr is to receive replacements for the self-propelled howitzers that have been surrendered. These plans are initially good for the army. Unfortunately, so far it's only plans by the BMVg, in concrete terms it looks different. "
In his opinion, the replacement should have been initiated much earlier. “With the war in Ukraine and limited industrial resources, every day counts. I therefore demand that the necessary documents be submitted to the responsible committees in the German Bundestag as quickly as possible and not sometime in the course of 2023," said Lehmann.
lah / editorial
Related topics
Germany delivers four more self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine War in Ukraine: CDU politician calls for doubling of the defense budget Germany wants to deliver seven self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine Germany delivers more self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine Ukraine – Federal government approves delivery of anti-aircraft tanks Gepard Ukraine wants to order 100 self-propelled howitzers 2000 directly from KMW IRIS-T air defense system and other weapon systems for Ukraine Ukraine War: Netherlands deliver self-propelled howitzers and Germany trains Leopard 2 and PzH 2000 for Hungary