Germany’s Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, has revealed that the country’s military, the Bundeswehr, spent approximately 4.6 billion euros less in the past year than initially planned and allocated. This information was obtained through a response to a question posed by CDU Bundestag member Ingo Gädechens, which was reported by the news magazine Politico.
According to the ministry’s response, 1.6 billion euros, intended for the purchase of ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance, were not disbursed. The expenditures from the Bundeswehr’s special fund fell short of the planned amount by 2.7 billion euros. “Simply calling for more money is not the solution” said CDU politician Gädechens to Politico. “It is crucial to ensure the efficient allocation of funds.”
Currently, the German government is debating a request for three billion euros in new military aid for Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of the SPD, intends to suspend the debt brake to secure this funding. The newly released figures from the Defense Ministry demonstrate that, in the context of reduced expenditures in other areas of the budget, significant budgetary leeway can arise.