German army suffers shoe shortage

German army suffers shoe shortage

-A pair of combat boots wait six years, what is the German army

"Six years for a new pair of shoes. In 2016, the German defense ministry launched the "new shoes for soldiers" program, which changed the soldiers' "full season shoes" to two pairs of heavy combat shoes and one pair of light combat shoes. Due to the manufacturer's limited production capacity, the new shoes were delayed. Soldiers wear shoes of good quality, and very durable, loved by the military.

In 2016, the Bundeswehr plans to replace soldiers' standard "four seasons boots" with two pairs of "heavy combat boots" and one pair of "light combat boots". According to the plan, the military should meet its target by the end of 2020.But soldiers don't expect to get their new boots until mid-2022. 

Due to "limited factory capacity", the project cannot be completed on schedule. So far, about 160,000 of Germany's 183,000 soldiers have received a pair of heavy combat boots and 31,000 have received a pair of light combat boots, but other parts remain out of stock.

Many opposition lawmakers were unhappy. After all, it's not a matter of fashion but of safety. Can a fireman put out a fire in slippers? In fact, German soldiers have long complained that their standard four-season boots are not comfortable or of good quality, and some have even bought their own combat boots - it was against the rules, but largely tolerated. The government launched a boot-changing plan, but the country, known for its footwear industry, was confused when it was unable to meet the military's demand.

What was the German army? A pair of boots takes six years. Many people know that Germany has American troops, but did Germany, the defeated country in world war Ⅱ, have its own army? When Germany was disarmed at the beginning of the second world war, the United Nations ordered Germany not to reconstitute any armed forces, but to keep a small defense force, with the defense of Germany Shared by American, British, French and Soviet forces.

In 1949, Germany split into east Germany and west Germany. Later, in 1955, west Germany established the bundeswehr and east Germany established the east German people's army. It was not until the reunification of Germany in 1990 that the kpa was incorporated into the bundeswehr and became the bundeswehr today. But the bundeswehr was also cut by more than 300,000, leaving about 180,000. The bundeswehr is seen as a defensive force, but since 1994 it has also taken part in international peacekeeping missions with organizations such as the United Nations and NATO.

However, in recent years, the German military has been buggy, such as aircraft problems, tanks problems, soldiers pay homage to the nazis, and so on. The Spectator, a British magazine, went so far as to call The German army a "joke".

Earlier this month, the bundeswehr ordered the suspension of all flights and training of all 53 tiger attack helicopters because of material defects in the main rotor components. During her five years as defense secretary, von der leyen has been controversial, largely because many critics believe she never prepared the military. "Very few" units were equipped with adequate equipment such as "defensive vests, combat boots, clothing, modern helmets and night-vision equipment." The inspector general of the German armed forces, eberhard zorn, even suggested that by 2031 the German army might be short of the necessary equipment and weapons.

In fact, compared with Germany's own defense forces, the presence of American troops in Germany is more deterrent. After world war ii, the United States had about 100,000 troops stationed in Europe, about 73,000 of them in Germany. The U.S. military headquarters in Europe is located in Stuttgart, Germany. Although the number of U.S. troops in Germany has declined in recent years, the U.S. military remains Germany's main armed presence.

Currently, there are about 38,000 U.S. troops in Germany, and although that number varies depending on rotation, Germany has the largest number of U.S. troops after Japan. There are seven U.S. army bases in Europe, five in Germany, two in Belgium and one in Italy, with a total of 29,000 soldiers. In addition, the United States air force has a total of 9,600 troops stationed in Germany and two air force bases, ramstein and spandurham.

Under a 1975 "management agreement," the United States can build small buildings in Germany if necessary, but at the expense of the United States government. But in practice, much of the cost is borne by the German government. The German finance ministry says the German government has spent 243 million euros over the past seven years on U.S. troops stationed in Germany, including maintenance of land and buildings.

However, since taking office, Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw us troops from Germany. The threat has been exacerbated by a continuing dispute over the Persian gulf and Germany's refusal to join the us-led patrols.

The U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grinnell, says the United States is considering withdrawing some of its troops from Germany and making Poland a new base. Grinnell said it was "very inappropriate" for Germans to spend the money on domestic affairs when American taxpayers were paying for American troops in Germany. Trump has repeatedly criticized Germany for not spending enough on its military and contributing too little to NATO.

But analysts say the overall U.S. alliance with Germany is so strong under the NATO framework that it is virtually impossible for the U.S. to withdraw its troops. But analysts say the overall U.S. alliance with Germany is so strong under the NATO framework that it is virtually impossible for the U.S. to withdraw its troops.