Budget politicians from both the Union and the SPD in the Bundestag have temporarily halted a major procurement plan put forth by the Ministry of Defence for the delivery of diesel tank containers. According to reporting by “Bild”, the decision to pause the project is due to marked increases in costs.
The planned acquisition, proposed via an amendment contract from the Federal Ministry of Finance, mandates the armed forces to commission 902 tank containers from a machine builder. The total value of this order is estimated at approximately €262.67 million, including VAT, which sets the unit price at roughly €291,000. This figure stands in stark contrast to a previous procurement in 2021, when the armed forces bought 153 containers for €21.8 million, equating to a unit cost of around €142,000.
These containers are intended for delivery by 2029, and will be used for units such as the Lithuania Brigade, among other purposes. Furthermore, the underlying framework agreement could potentially be expanded up to 4,200 units, with a maximum contract ceiling of about €902 million.
Politicians criticized the trajectory of the planned spending. One member of the Budget Committee quoted by “Bild” called the price escalation “an outrage”. CDU politician Andreas Mattfeldt warned the newspaper that “we are experiencing an armament inflation fueled by too little competition. We must counter this massive issue now to ensure we have financial means in 2029, and don’t regret not having applied the brakes back in 2026”.
In response to the inquiry, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence stated that while they regret that they cannot comment on the specifics of planned procurement projects, they cannot do so before the German Bundestag has given its final approval.
