According to General Lieutenant Michael Vetter, the Bundeswehr is making progress on its digital radio system despite a series of setbacks in its introduction. Vetter, who is responsible for the digital transformation initiatives and serves as the Chief Information Officer at the Ministry of Defence, told the news magazine “Focus” that the previous shortcomings have been addressed.
Last year’s tests revealed severe issues: messages either did not arrive or were significantly delayed, positional data could not be transmitted, and radio networks would shut down. “There were flaws,” Vetter explained. Since those tests, intensive work has been carried out on the system, and he noted that the entire system has now demonstrated “good performance,” maintaining “good voice quality and constant data exchange.” The technology is scheduled to undergo another operational examination in September.
The digitalization of the armed forces is described as one of the most expensive and complex projects. Over eleven billion euros is being spent just on the digital radio system. “We are talking about around 16,000 platforms that require new radio technology-tanks, trucks, combat positions. And naturally, there are also vehicles that have been in service for over 40 years.”
Vetter admitted that the Bundeswehr started late. “Other nations began equipping their armed forces with digital communication methods about 20 years ago. The jump we have to make now is consequently even greater.” He also conceded that both industry and the Bundeswehr itself had somewhat underestimated the sheer scale of the digitalization program.
