External consultancy cost Germany’s Defense Ministry almost as much as all 13 other ministries put together in recent months. The opposition Left party says advisers treat the military as an "El Dorado."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Vennenbernd
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Between January and June 2019, the German Defense Ministry and its affiliated institutions spent €155 million ($174 million) on external consultants and support services.
The figures were revealed in response to a parliamentary request by the opposition Left party, obtained by several local media outlets Thursday.
In comparison, the 13 other German ministries had paid a combined €178 million for external services, the government admitted. The scale ranged from €48 million spent by the Transport Ministry down to a mere €293,000 outlaid by the Education Ministry.
The main explanation for the high expenditure is the challenge posed by digitalization. That's according to Thomas Silberhorn, the parliamentary state secretary to the Defense Ministry and a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc.
He said the sum included €109 million spent on the German military's IT service provider, the BWI.
The government-owned company was formed in 2007 and provides logistical and administrative computer services nationwide exclusively for the Bundeswehr at 1,200 locations, including a NATO mission in Kosovo.
Scandal, says inquiry committee member
Opposition Left parliamentarian Matthias Höhn described the expenditure total as "disgraceful."
"[Former Defense Minister] von der Leyen turned the Bundeswehr into an El Dorado for external consultants," Höhn told Germany's DPA news agency.
"Now it's a question as to whether [new Defense Minister] Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer will send the gold-diggers home," Höhn postulated.
DPA said in July — at Höhn's request — the Finance Ministry provided consultancy data from other ministries. Initially, there was no reply from the Defense Ministry.
Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment
Germany's military faces almost daily reports on new problems with its hardware: planes and helicopters on the ground, tanks and ships not operational. The list goes on.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Faulty tanks and grounded helicopters
Frustrated soldiers and a defense system struggling to repair its way into a fully functioning military. And a new defense minister who will have to regain confidence from army representatives.
Image: Getty Images/V. Wieker
Defective helicopters
Ageing helicopters have proved a big hurdle for the German military. The Bundeswehr has grounded all its 53 Tiger helicopters, after engineers said technical faults needed attention. Defense services were also forced to recall 22 Sea Lynx anti-submarine helicopters in 2014, confirming newspaper reports of malfunction.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Carsten Rehder
Manufacturing fault
The Eurofighter is the German military's most modern fighter jet. As a result of a manufacturing error, only four of the 128 planes were in action in 2018. A pilot was killed in June 2019 when two Eurofighters collided in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, prompting fresh calls for further restrictions on the plane's use.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Let's replace it... as soon as we make a decision
Tornado fighters have been flying for over 40 years. CDU plans to replace the ageing planes were thrown into question by the center-left SPD in February 2019. But some officials claim flying the Tornado after 2030 could cost Germany around €8 billion ($9 billion) in repair costs.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Udo Zander
Not making any tracks
New Puma tanks for the German military came into use in 2018. Only 27 of the 71 Pumas were immediately ready for deployment — which prompted a fresh backlash against then Defense Secretary Ursula von der Leyen.
Image: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
Glitches at sea
New F125 frigates — but they are't ready yet. German plans to replace the old frigates stalled in 2018, due to there not being enough spare parts to make them seaworthy. Officials also said Germany would have to soon stop signing up to NATO and UN missions in the same year — the country just did not have enough ships spare.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Headache for AKK?
She has not been in the job long, but Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has inherited a huge problem. Old equipment being grounded is now a regular and pressing occurrence. Former Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen signed a deal to develop a "Future Combat Air System" in June — which is scheduled to replace Germany's air force by 2040.
