All Latest German Tanks for NATO Training Broken Down... "Serious Setback"

18th Generation Stopped Due to Malfunction... "Cause Under Investigation"
Remaining Training to Proceed with Aging Marder Tank

The Puma tank developed by the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) [Image source=KMW website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As Germany's latest tanks, which were scheduled to participate in next month's North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exercises, all broke down, making participation in the training difficult, Europe's security complacency has once again come under scrutiny. The German government announced that it would temporarily deploy its existing outdated tanks for the training, immediately investigate the cause, and work on strengthening its military capabilities. However, amid heightened security threats due to the war in Ukraine, criticism of the discipline issues within the German military, the largest military power in Europe, is pouring in both inside and outside Germany.

According to Deutsche Welle (DW) on the 19th (local time), German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht stated in a press release that "18 Puma tanks scheduled to participate in the NATO exercises in January next year were found to have critical defects during recent German military training. This is a serious setback," adding, "The existing Marder tanks will participate in the NATO exercises, and Germany will fulfill its obligations as a NATO member country."

The Puma tank, developed by the German defense company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), is the latest tank introduced in 2009 to replace the aging Marder tanks. Currently, about 350 units are deployed and are known as the main tank model of the German military's armored forces. Among them, 42 units are assigned for joint exercises with NATO forces.

The appearance of the Puma tank developed by the German Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) company [Image source=KMW website]

Following the discovery of these defects, the German government has temporarily suspended the additional procurement of Puma tanks. Minister Lambrecht emphasized, "I have ordered an investigation into what went wrong, and there will be no new orders until it is proven that these tanks are in a stable condition."

Criticism of the government's security complacency is pouring in both inside and outside Germany. Johann Wadephul, deputy parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the conservative opposition party in Germany, strongly criticized in an interview with ARD, saying, "This is a nightmare," and added, "If not a single Puma tank, considered the main battle tank of the German military, is functioning properly, then the military itself is not functioning."

Earlier, the German government announced a special defense budget of 100 billion euros (approximately 138 trillion won) and declared it would accelerate the modernization of military equipment, including weapons and ammunition support for Ukraine and the introduction of the United States' latest stealth fighter, the F-35. However, as the actual project progress remains sluggish, controversy is growing within German political circles.