In a quiet suburb of Hamburg, in the far north of Germany, a factory works to produce parts for military equipment, including the famous Leopard 2 tank.
A report by the British “Sky News” network says that the factory there gives a glimpse into how small parts are made in the German war machine.
The “Venkorion” factory produces parts of many weapons, including the “Leopard 2” tank, which has emerged in recent weeks, following Ukraine demanded that Germany obtain it to confront Russian forces operating in Ukraine as part of the Russian special military operation a year ago.
It is possible that in the event that someone requests to obtain the “Leopard 2” tank or the “Puma” armored vehicle, this factory would have participated in the production of parts of it.
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The politics of Russia and Germany are different
And while Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he has increased arms production in his country, officials here warn that Germany has not done the same.
“For me, it is worrying that Germany donated 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and did not ask in return for the production of not even a single tank,” says Stefan Stenzel, CEO of Vencurion Energy Systems.
Germany is one of the largest military donors to Ukraine.
After pledging to send Leopard 2 tanks, Berlin lifted restrictions on other countries that possess them to transfer them to Ukraine.
The turning point
During the Munich Security Conference, which concluded a few days ago, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged his country’s partners to send tanks to Ukraine “now”.
At the same time, Schultz said, the state of “neglect” in the German armed forces had been put to rest.
And shortly following the outbreak of the Ukraine war in February of last year, Germany took a decision that represented a turning point in its modern history, by allocating more than $100 billion to modernize the army.
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Nothing has changed
But 12 months into the war, critics say that little money has been spent and that German forces are in even worse shape.
“We are bleeding,” Stefan Stenzel said. “With all the donations we make to the Ukrainian army, and with no realignment yet, the German army is getting weaker.”
He concluded that even if the German government now orders Leopard 2 tanks, it will take 24 months for them to be delivered, according to the same spokesman.
He considered that there are gaps in German arms stocks, which cannot be filled due to the rapidly growing global demand for weapons.
In response to a question regarding the seriousness of the situation, he said: “It is very dangerous,” adding, “As long as the conflict in Ukraine continues, there is time, but who can control it?”
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Promises and bureaucracy
Since the end of the Cold War three decades ago, the German army has faced the problem of lack of funding, to the extent that the army commander said shortly following the outbreak of the Ukraine war that his army had almost nothing.
Despite government promises to support the army, the bureaucracy controlling the procurement system quickly thwarted the translation of these promises.
However, a spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense denied the decline of the army’s strength in defending the country in the event of an extension of the war in Ukraine.
