Berlin — Germany’s armed forces are being pushed beyond their limits as Berlin makes greater international commitments while failing to invest in and reform the military, according to a report published on Tuesday. "The army’s readiness to deploy has not improved in recent years, but instead has got even worse," parliamentary armed forces commissioner Hans-Peter Bartels said as he presented his annual findings at a press conference, pointing to "big gaps" in personnel and equipment. By the end of 2017, all Germany’s submarines were in dry dock for repairs, while in recent months there have been periods where none of the air force’s 14 A400M transport planes were airworthy. The litany of disrepair continues through fighter planes, tanks, helicopters and ships lamed by bad planning and a lack of spare parts. Air force pilots are unable to train as their aircraft are grounded for maintenance for much of the year, the report notes. Spending on defence has been cut repeatedly since 1990,...
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