In the context of the handover of the first RCH 155 self-propelled howitzer to Ukraine, the Union of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is calling for more speed in the procurement of the weapon for the German Bundeswehr.
The defense policy spokesperson of the Bundestag faction, Florian Hahn (CSU), told the “Rheinische Post” (Tuesday’s edition): “It is completely incomprehensible that the Bundeswehr still has to wait for a long time before the weapon system is procured and arrives in the troops.”
Hahn added that it is right and important to support Ukraine with high-quality artillery systems, but also a modernization of the German army is urgently needed. “It is completely incomprehensible, therefore, why this weapon system, despite the repeatedly expressed will of the Ministry of Defence, has not yet been taken under contract for the Bundeswehr” Hahn criticized.
The modernization and material growth of the German army “is essential in view of the threat situation, Germany’s geographical situation, and its assumed commitments in Lithuania”, Hahn further emphasized. The self-propelled howitzer must “become the capability carrier for mobile and precise firepower” and is, in addition, one of the key capabilities for the buildup of the intermediate forces of the army.