The current stockpiles of the Bundeswehr contain only 20,000 155 mm high-explosive shells. One of the factors contributing to this depletion is the military aid provided to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Spiegel reports.
According to current NATO requirements, the German military is supposed to increase its own stock of ammunition by 210,000 shells, in order to have enough for 30 days of intensive combat operations. In order to meet this requirement, the German Ministry of Defense must purchase at least 30,000 artillery ammunition annually.
Read more: How the Allies' Weapons Repair in Ukraine Works, Defense Ministry Revealed
Currently, the German Ministry of Defense is focused on accelerating the pace of existing procurements.
The Ministry plans to present nine contracts for the acquisition of ammunition, totaling a value of 25 million euros, to the budget committee of the Bundestag.
However, it also intends to extend the existing framework agreement with Rheinmetall Group for the supply of ammunition until 2026. As part of this extension, there is a plan to enter into an additional contract for 16,000 shells, with a total value of 118 million euros.
Currently, it appears that the Bundeswehr will struggle to achieve the necessary turnover to replenish its ammunition reserves at a rate of 30,000 units per year.
However, considering the figure of +210,000 artillery ammunition by 2031, it is a relatively small amount. To put it into perspective, according to official data from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, just last week the russian military fired 277,000 ammunition during 5,800 attacks in the east of Ukraine. This implies that the German Bundeswehr plans to acquire only as many shells in a span of several years as russian forces expend in a week of combat.
This once again highlights the significant challenge of accumulating ammunition stockpiles for countries that provide military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Read more: US Sniper Ammo Still Finds its Way to russia: Sanctions Evasion Scheme Uncovered
