German army chief demands extra £13bn

SEVERE underfunding of the military is putting Germany’s security at risk, the head of the country’s influential armed forces association warned yesterday.

Lt-col Andre Wüstner called for an increase of €15 billion (£13 billion) by 2021 and said that if Angela Merkel’s government fails to act, it will risk “incalculable consequences for our security”. The warning comes as the chancellor is expected to face intense pressure from Donald Trump over defence spending when they meet for talks in Washington today.

The US president has demanded Europe pays more towards the cost of its defence and he is believed to be increasingly focused on Germany, where military spending lags far behind Nato’s target of 2 per cent of GDP.

Lt-col Wüstner’s remarks are evidence of growing frustration within Germany’s military over funding. “The armed forces have no more understanding if the government continues this lack of resources in a world full of threats,” he told Welt newspaper.

“If they want to reassure the people of Germany that their protection is once more the first and foremost duty of the state, they have to prove it. And it starts with future funding.”

A parliamentary watchdog warned earlier this year that equipment shortages were putting Germany’s ability to meet its Nato commitments in doubt.