German Navy Running Out of Combat Vessels, Will be Unable to Operate Overseas in Future - Defence Official

A leading German defense official has warned that the country’s navy is running seriously short of combat capable vessels, and will soon find itself unable to deploy overseas. Hans-Peter Bartels, chief of the German parliament’s defense committee, said that several of the Navy's frigates and auxiliary ships were already decommissioned due to their age leaving an acute shortage. He noted that the problem had worsened over time because old ships continued to be taken out of service while no new ships were provided. According to the official, six of the Navy's fifteen frigates were already decommissioned, while “none of the new Type-125 frigates are able to join the navy.” The Wurttemburg Class warships, despite a tremendous $1 billion cost, were rejected by the navy due to severe deficiencies.

Bartels claimed the situation facing the Navy exacerbated as a result of the extensive bureaucracy as well as military contractors’ inability to supply necessary spare parts on time. He recalled as an example how the Navy was forced to wait five months to receive relatively simple equipment, fuel injection pumps, or six months to relieve oil coolers for its frigates which seriously stalled operations. As a result the official warned: “There would be no new maritime missions for NATO, the EU or the UN anymore." Germany's ability to project power at sea would grind to a halt.

Germany has previously seen large portions of its Naval forces fall out of action. An example was in 2017 when Germany's entire fleet of six submarines were all entirely inoperable due to disrepair. The malady affecting the German Navy is one which has become widespread among Western European militaries, with Britain and France also seeing both a decline in their combat capabilities as large proportions of their air and naval fleets fall out of service. The British Royal Navy for example has 68% of its fleet, including 74% of its amphibious fleet, out of service, and according to senior official is heading for 'Third World' level capabilities. France's Air Force has similarly seen 56% of its aircraft unable to fly. A result of economic crisis in Western Europe, crippling bureaucracy and inefficient defence spending has led to a significant decline in combat capabilities, one which is set to grow in future. The poor and declining state of Germany's Navy is but one symptom of this larger malady.