A German general announced that the Bundeswehr had 300 battle tanks left
General Carsten Breuer, Inspector General of the German Armed Forces, said that Russia produces 1,000-1,500 tanks a year, while the Bundeswehr has 300 tanks left. He noted that intelligence indicates that the Russian military is preparing to attack the West and that by 2029 it will have all the weapons and human resources to do so.
In an interview with Tagesspiegel, Inspector General of the German Armed Forces, Karsten Breuer, said that Russia has significantly surpassed a number of major NATO countries in Europe in terms of increasing its military power by producing up to 1,500 tanks per year. He warned that at this rate, within "five to eight" years, President Vladimir Putin will have the opportunity to start a war with the North Atlantic Alliance.
"The Russian army is replenished with 1,000-1,500 tanks every year. The figures of the five largest NATO members in Europe have only half of this number. The Bundeswehr has about 300 battle tanks. If we add to this potential the intentions that must be read in Putin's speeches , we have to be careful," Broyer said.
According to him, based on this information, as well as information coming from the intelligence services and armed forces of the allies, it can be concluded that the Russian army is preparing to attack the West and by 2029 it will have all the materials , weapons and personnel resources to do so.
As Breuer notes, this means that Germany must be prepared for such a scenario . He admitted that aid to Ukraine had affected the Bundeswehr's stockpile of weapons, and so far only the military's personal equipment had been resolved. "The soldiers know that we are going through a crisis right now because we have to produce the equipment that was ordered first. The new tanks are not yet on the parade ground , and the new planes are not in the hangar," said the general.
Broy said that the situation will start to change next year and that in 2026 and 2027, we can expect a "significant increase" in the arrival of new weapons systems to the troops. At the same time, he struggled to answer the question of how much it would cost to achieve full combat readiness of the German army, but noted that the decisive factor was a constant and sustainable increase in the defense budget.
According to him, the increase of 1.25 billion euros from the 53 billion euros in 2025 will not be enough to buy the necessary equipment, which the Bundeswehr will pay next year and receive in 2029. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also emphasized the need to increase defense spending by 6 billion euros.
Breuer said both he and the minister have made it clear to the military that operational spending cannot be cut. "A high level of combat training is required to perform deterrence functions. This can only be achieved by training and practicing the personnel, as well as by being prepared to use the necessary weapons. On the other hand, if new acquisitions are delayed, we create further opportunity gaps. We should avoid both of them," the general concluded.
A special fund of 100 billion euros for the modernization of the Bundeswehr is due to expire in 2028. It was created after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in part to help Germany meet NATO's defense spending of 2 percent of GDP.
According to Reuters sources in the German Ministry of Finance, in 2026-2027, the gap in financing this sector will be 13 billion euros, and in 2028, 28 billion euros will be needed to reach NATO's benchmark without a special fund. After a regular budget deficit of 39 billion euros, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that starting from 2028, 80 billion euros will be allocated from the treasury for defense.
Western military leaders and politicians have repeatedly stated that Russia's invasion of Ukraine could turn into a major war. On July 17, the President of Poland Andrzej Duda raised this issue. He believes that if Ukraine is allowed to fall, a possible war between Russia and the West will be "very close".
"If Russian imperialism is not repelled and Putin's ruthless blade is not extinguished, this greedy monster will attack more and more," Duda said. When asked how much time is left for Poland and NATO, the president answered that it is necessary to act, not to count the days.
Putin has repeatedly denied that Russia is preparing for war with the West, insisting that there is "no reason, no interest" in fighting NATO.
Earlier, we reported that the commander of the British Armed Forces, General Roland Walker, emphasized the need to prepare for war in the next three years and to double the combat capability of the British army by 2027. In his opinion, Russia, Iran and China can pose a threat to Britain. "War is not inevitable, but there is enough time to prepare for the conflict and prevent it," said the commander.
