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As military aid to Ukraine depletes Germany’s ammunition reserves, a recent report by German-language newspaper Die Welt suggests that a slowdown in component imports from China could exacerbate the problem.
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The report said German munitions makers recently warned that the waiting period for orders from China for cotton linters — a key component for propellant charges for small guns and artillery — had tripled to as much as nine months.
German munitions makers flagged this information at a recent defense symposium near Munich. The German government hosted a round table with ammunition manufacturers on November 28; however, no concrete results have been released.
Industry sources said all European munitions manufacturers depend on China for cotton flax, even though it is a globally produced and traded commodity.
Wolfgang Helmich, chairman of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) in parliament, told Asia Nikkei that the significant shortage of Chinese-sourced materials for military equipment is particularly problematic for ammunition and specific types of steel.
He said that at the ammunition roundtable, officials discussed how to quickly remove bottlenecks in the supply of ammunition and that all parties are working continuously to find ways to avoid significant shortages in supplies.
The management of German munitions manufacturer MEN Metallverk Elisenhuette has reportedly criticized the government for being slower than other European countries to place orders with the defense industry.
The Bundeswehr, the German military, realized that its supplies would be completely insufficient for a high-intensity conflict after the daily Russian artillery shelling of Ukraine with tens of thousands of rounds.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the SPD-led administration of Chancellor Olaf Scholz set a special budget of 100 billion euros ($106 billion) to modernize its underequipped armed forces.
The administration is in a quandary because Germany is simultaneously providing ammunition to the Ukrainian military, including ammunition for machine guns, anti-aircraft guns and multiple rocket launchers.
Henning Otte, a member of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and deputy chairman of the Bundestag’s defense committee, argued that the reliance on China was causing difficulties in the effort to stockpile.
US defense firms also use rare earths, raw materials and components from China.
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Timothy Heath, senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corporation, said that “this reflects the globalized nature of manufacturing. Defense Department policymakers are trying to persuade companies to reduce or eliminate their reliance on Chinese suppliers.
German ammunition stocks are running low
Germany is running out of ammunition as it transfers weapons to Ukraine in light of the prolonged conflict. Germany is far from meeting the alliance’s requirement that each member have enough weapons to last 30 days of combat.
Furthermore, Berlin’s need for weapons increased as the federal government provided Ukraine with weapons from the Bundeswehr stockpile.
Eva Hogl, Germany’s parliament’s defense commissioner, previously said her nation needed an additional 20 billion euros ($19.4 billion) to buy enough ammunition to meet NATO’s criteria.
Germany continues to supply Ukraine with weapons, making it one of the biggest European supporters of Kiev. High-value equipment transferred to Ukraine includes self-propelled howitzers, multiple-barrel missile systems, anti-aircraft systems and anti-battery radar.
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “We prepared everything we had: anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, mines, guns, tons of ammunition and non-lethal aid.” Since then, we have progressed to more complex and valuable systems.”
Officials from Europe have said that Russia cannot be allowed to win in Ukraine and will continue to help Ukraine. However, they all expressed concern about domestic defense needs.
The war put a strain on the already dwindling arsenals of NATO nations. Some allies have sent all their spare Soviet-era weapons and are awaiting replacements from the US.
Moreover, European nations may find it challenging to quickly replenish their arsenal as they no longer have a robust defense industry to produce replacements. Instead, many of them depend on the US defense industry.
However, according to experts, it will take time to replenish stocks and restore the ability to produce weapons. The whole process could require more investment in infrastructure in some small countries.
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