Germany's reserve forces "largely exist on paper," says the leader of the reserve forces association, pointing out that the troops are neither provided with proper equipment, nor do they receive routine military training.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the German government has been seeking to make its armed forces more effective, which is not an easy task after years of under-investment. The reserve forces are seen as an important part of this plan, yet – as the leader of the group which represents the interests of reserve soldiers says – they are far from being able to meet these goals and appear to be more like a phantom force than a valued component of the country’s defence. Speaking to the German newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung, retired lieutenant colonel and former CDU MP Patrick Sensburg stressed that Germany’s reserve forces were badly run and considerably underfunded.

Compared to the official figures that put the number of registered reservists at around 930,000 – which seems very high because by law, everyone in Germany with past military service is a reservist forever – there are only around 34,000 reservists who are actually active or recently trained.

Reservists must beg the regular forces for uniforms, but even their participation in routine military trainings like target shooting practice is difficult, and they have no military vehicles. At best, says Mr Sensburg, reservists can use civilian cars and most bizarrely of all, reserve tank commanders don’t get to train in real tanks. Instead, they perform their manoeuvres on foot and it is not mandatory for soldiers to turn up at the military drills.

In times of crises, the reservists would assume a wide range of roles ranging from guarding power stations and transporting the wounded to filling gaps on the front line, yet the force is currently incapable of fulfilling these jobs. Indeed, it is a „force that still largely exists on paper,” says the retired lieutenant colonel.

According to the veteran officer, the obvious first step is to increase the equipment, vehicles, and weapons that are available to the reservists, but a change in how the reserve forces are organised is also much in need. Mr Sensburg told the paper that reservist soldiers – as a basic requirement – should be made to complete a two-week training course every two years.

In comparison, the British Army Reserve asks its members for 27 days of service a year, Breitbart adds. If reservists meet this requirement, they get a tax-free cash bonus, known as a „bounty” in traditional military parlance.

As V4NA has highlighted in an earlier article, the German army is struggling with serious challenges anyway. In a recent interview in April, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that he does not expect that the equipment deficiencies of the German armed forces (Bundeswehr) will be a thing of the past soon. Moreover, the Social Democratic minister pointed out:

„We all know that it’s impossible to fully eliminate all the existing shortcomings by 2030. This is why we must set priorities”.

One such priority is the defence of NATO’s eastern flank, he said. This, however, requires capabilities that must be supplied with ammunition, equipment and personnel. Germany has put itself in a difficult position by giving Ukraine a huge amount of weapons, equipment and ammunition for the war against Russia, almost completely depleting its own ammunition and weapons warehouses. Therefore, the defence minister suggested that the government accelerate its negotiations with actors of the military industry.

But it turns out that the lack of weapons and ammunition is just one part of the problem. Eva Hogl, the commissioner for the armed forces of Germany has published her annual report on the state of the Bundeswehr recently, with her document highlighting several deplorable facts. The report reveals that besides the depleted weapons and ammunition warehouses, the clothing and spare parts warehouses are also almost entirely empty.