Politicians from both the Union and the SPD are warning that the prices set by the industry for the massive procurement projects intended for the German Armed Forces are too high.
Andreas Mattfeldt, a CDU budget politician, told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that prices are currently skyrocketing, a situation he attributes to a lack of competition. His point is that the government’s duty is twofold: to ensure soldiers receive the best equipment while simultaneously procuring it at the best possible price for taxpayers.
These massive investments span over 650 billion euros over the coming years, allocated to restoring the defense capabilities of the nation. In some cases, such as the planned acquisition of up to 4,000 tank containers, the prices are reportedly inflated beyond reason. Mattfeldt suggested that profiteering is evident in these transactions.
A major project involves the digital networking of Bundeswehr vehicles, a package potentially worth up to 20 billion euros. Regarding this, Mattfeldt expressed significant skepticism. “We are also looking at systems that work in other armed forces. I always like to have an alternative” he stated. He expressed little faith in the mutual accusations made by the participating companies, insisting that the priority must be receiving a functional product that matches what was ordered and promised.
Mattfeldt, alongside his SPD colleague Andreas Schwarz, is responsible for providing commentary on the coalition’s defense budget. Mattfeldt also criticized the lack of sufficient time allocated for proper review processes. At the last session before Christmas, the Ministry of Defence submitted 27 procurement proposals totaling 52 billion euros for approval. He noted that a serious review of such a high volume of documents is extremely difficult. However, he assured that the Ministry had stated it would never accept such a heavy load of procurements in a single session again.
Schwarz added that, alongside the Federal Court of Auditors, they are the only oversight body that reviews items before a contract is finalized. He highlighted the scale of the challenge: their small team of four is facing an “empire”-referring to the procurement office with roughly 10,000 employees and the Defense Ministry with about 3,000. Despite this disparity, he emphasized that the Basic Law grants them a clear mandate to ensure the needs of both the troops and the taxpayers are met.
