Moritz Brake, photo: private

Moritz Brake, photo: private

Sea power is indispensable

The navy is on course: 2025, no more ten years for many new builds, but with a pragmatic focus on what can be done quickly and innovative solutions to rapidly increase the efficiency and effectiveness of what is already available. Because only those warships, submarines, aircraft and trained personnel that can be produced quickly or are available before the start of a war will also be available during it - and visibly contribute to deterring an attack.

However, both the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for over three years, and the logic of nuclear deterrence indicate that war in Europe will not be over quickly in the 21st century either. Just as

15 Jul 2025

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  1. The article emphasises the necessity of an efficient navy for the economic and geopolitical stability of Germany and Europe. The dependence on maritime trade for survival and defence capability in a potential conflict is rightly emphasised.

    In this context, the German Navy's current and planned armaments projects are of crucial importance, but also raise questions. The F127 class frigate is currently in the planning phase and is expected to play a central role as a future air defence carrier. However, it should be noted that the full combat capability of these platforms will probably only be achieved with the introduction of the "Large Remote Missile Vessels" (LRMV). As far as I know, these largely unmanned units will act as "external weapon carriers" for the frigates and significantly increase their air defence and other capabilities.

    According to current plans in the PDF "Kurs Marine 2025", the procurement of three LRMVs is planned, which are to operate together with the new F127 frigates. However, recent reports indicate that the number of F127 class frigates could be increased from the original six to eight. A corresponding adjustment to the number of LRMVs does not appear to have been taken into account in these considerations to date. This could lead to a capability gap, as the original ratio of 1 to 2 is no longer maintained.

    In addition to the conceptual issues with the F127, there are also considerable difficulties with another important project, the F126 class frigate. According to reports, IT problems at the Dutch general contractor shipyard are causing massive delays. There is talk of a possible delay of up to 48 months (hopefully less), which could postpone the commissioning of the first ship to 2032 or later.

    In summary, it can be said that although the navy is on the right course by recognising the importance of maritime security, the implementation of the necessary modernisation steps is associated with considerable hurdles. The delays with the F126 and the inconsistencies in the planning of the F127 and the associated LRMV show that the path to a "war-ready" fleet, as called for in the article, is still long and very sea mine-heavy.

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