Billions for the navy

The special fund for the Bundeswehr enables the Navy to close capability gaps.

The agreement reached between the coalition government and the CDU/CSU on 29 May on the 100 billion euro special fund for the Bundeswehr outlines the expected procurement package. The money is intended to ensure that the armed forces receive the equipment they need to fulfil their mission.

The Bundeswehr Special Fund is managed in Section 60. The business plan has now been published. The measures contained in it are intended to secure funding for important equipment projects, in particular complex, multi-year military procurements.

Accordingly, procurement totalling 19.306 billion euros is planned for the navy. This sum does not include expenditure on maritime patrol aircraft, which fall under the air dimension in the system used.
The projects proposed are

- Corvette 130
- F 126
- Future Naval Strike Missile (FNSM)
- Anti-submarine missiles (Idas)
- Underwater detection (Sonix)
- Multi-purpose combat boats
- Successor rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) 1010

The information that has become known so far means

The second batch of K 130s will continue to be built with five units. This means that the number of corvettes will remain at ten. What will happen to the K 130 units that have been in service since 2008 remains to be seen.

The additional two 126 frigates and the two 212CD class submarines are options that have already been contractually agreed and will now be honoured.
The multi-purpose combat boats are a capability enhancement of the naval battalion, which has already been reported on frequently in marineforum. If necessary, they will also be procured for the Navy's Special Forces Command. This fulfils a need that has been articulated for a long time. The sea battalion's co-operation with the Royal Netherlands Navy is linked to this.

Sonix is the further development of sonobuoys for underwater reconnaissance (Acoustic Intelligence, Acint). Long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft have also long been on the German Navy's wish list in order to maintain this valuable capability. Based on the budget decisions of summer 2021, the procurement of five Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft has been approved to date. However, the Navy's operational requirement is for eight aircraft.

With the investments that are now possible, the inspector of the navy sees a great opportunity to strengthen the operational capability and combat strength of his branch of the armed forces. If last year's approvals totalling 9.4 billion euros are added, the navy has seen investments of 28.7 billion euros in the last two years. The lion's share of this is being channelled into German naval shipbuilding.

Despite the funds that have now been pledged, the number of flagships in the navy will only increase slightly. The submarine flotilla will grow by four units, while operational flotilla 2 will be able to integrate two additional ships. No concrete details have yet been provided about the planned number of operational boats. The CPM phase document "Capability Gap and Functional Requirement (FFF)" signed in January 2021 for the "Tactical Mobility of Maritime Forces on the Water" project could serve as a guide. This involves a total of fifteen units - ten for the naval battalion and five for the combat swimmers.

Currently, the procurement plans do not include new harbour support vessels and other operational vehicles such as submersibles. An expression of interest procedure entitled "Cooperation company to maintain towing, manoeuvring and bowing capability for sea-going units" was announced on 17 June 2021 with a submission deadline of 23 July 2021. The navy now appears to be in favour of a leasing option.

As a consequence of these procurement projects, infrastructure, organisation, training and recruitment must be considered. This is also linked to the timelines of the influx. Overall, improving operational readiness through the unexpected influx of new units and weapons initially requires an enormous effort from the German Navy.

Hans-Uwe Mergener and Holger Schlüter