Germany not satisfied with readiness of submarines, some aircraft
Greens party member unhappy that military report will be kept classified for the first time for security reasons
Berlin — Germany’s military remains dissatisfied with the combat readiness of its submarines and certain older aircraft, but a spate of reforms are starting to take hold, the military’s top uniformed officer told MPs on Monday. However, in a letter accompanying the military’s annual readiness report, inspector-general of the German Armed Forces Eberhard Zorn said the actual report would be kept classified for the first time for security reasons, a move criticised by opposition MPs. “Apparently the readiness of the Bundeswehr is so bad that the public should not be allowed to know about it,” said Tobias Lindner, a Greens member who serves on the budget and defence committees. Lindner asked parliament to postpone consideration of the mandatory report, which can be seen only in a secure facility, until next week, instead of Wednesday, to give MPs more time to study its conclusions. Zorn said the average readiness of the country’s nearly 10,000 weapons systems stood at about 70% in 2018...
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