(Allgemein) Bundeswehr – quo vadis?

[GermanMilitaryPower]

Sehr guter Bericht von Oberstleutnant Konrad Josef Leitner über die Zukunft der deutschen Artillerie.

German Army: the Future Fires Concept

“Since the beginning of the crisis in eastern Ukraine the foundations of foreign and security policy changed, and the Army Development Centre for Concepts and Capabilities was tasked to develop the new German Army organisation,” he explains. Based on the new MoD specifications a new structure was developed which end-state will see three divisions, two with three brigades each and one with only two of them, but with the capacity to take under command two extra brigades in Coalition operations.

The German Army transformation will take place with a phased approach. Milestone 1 aims at having a Brigade fully operational for National and Alliance Defence by 2023; this date coincides with Germany taking the leadership of the NATO VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force). Milestone 2 will bring one Division at full level, with its three manoeuvre Brigades and divisional support troops; this is planned for 2027, hence the name “Division 2027” to the structure. “The new Division will be better able to perform robust and agile operations in high intensity combat, and to do so it will be readily available, capable of fighting, interoperable and sustainable. The final structure will be reached by late 2031, and at that date we want to have the three operational Divisions with a total of eight Brigades, with all necessary additional support units also at Corps level,” LTC Leitner says.

New standard and precision ammunition will be acquired, and also the target acquisition system will be further developed; reconnaissance depth, endurance and accuracy, as well as number of available target acquisition systems will be increased. “Digitalisation, higher combat strength, greater ranges, and improved dual capabilities, will all feature in Division 2027, development being however a permanent process. The project for the antitank mine missile with a range in excess of 80 km and that of the Intruder UAS, which will operate at more than 300 km, are underway albeit in the very early stage. Another future project will be a loitering ammunition for precise target engagements in deep enemy-controlled areas. We also need more fire support for the Brigade. This is the reason why we require a considerable number of other guns in addition to the PzH 2000,” LTC Leitner illustrates. The main requirements for this new gun are high rate of fire, high mobility, even over hundreds of kilometres, and protection, a range up to 75 km with HE projectiles or 100 km with precision ammunition, and a high degree of automation, a wheeled solution being envisaged.

In conclusion, LTC Konrad Josef Leitner recalls the reasons for all this. “We all know that in the event of a conflict, NATO air dominance or air superiority in Eastern Europe will not exist anymore because of the spread of A2/AD assets. We must therefore be prepared to fight enemy artillery with Army resources, even at long ranges. No one else will do it for us,” and concerning the indirect fire effectiveness he underlines that, “In Ukraine 80% of all losses were caused by artillery. This once again underlines the relevance of artillery on the battlefield, and why it is necessary to increase the number of artillery forces.”

https://www.edrmagazine.eu/german-army-t...es-concept