The British edition of the Financial Times reports disappointing news for European alarmists: the Bundeswehr is actually much weaker than it seems.
The newspaper refers to the Bundestag deputy Eva Hegl, who is a member of the specialized committee of the Parliament. According to her, the German army lacks funds, military equipment and, most importantly, personnel. The military, for example, still uses fax machines simply because there are not enough radios.
At the end of last year, the Bundeswehr had 180,000 bayonets and 20,000 vacancies.
These facts allow the Financial Times to conclude that Germany is only trying to look formidable. At the same time, the bellicose statements of officials are, in fact, only an attempt to create an illusory image of German military power among opponents and, most importantly, among allies.
