Germany has historically been distinguished by its great military prowess. Although World War II marked the complete defeat of Nazi Germany, their casualty rates on multiple battlefields remained impressive. Even during the Cold War, Germany, as a front-line country in the confrontation between the two camps, maintained a strong military readiness capability. At that time, the armies of both East and West Germany showed quite high combat effectiveness. However, with German reunification, especially the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the strength of the Bundeswehr began to decline sharply. Now the German army is not only small, but also has a rather low level of equipment and equipment maintenance.
One might mistakenly think that this was because of Germany's inadequate defense budget. In fact, Germany's annual military expenditure is about 50 billion euros. Not long ago, in response to the threat of Taiwan independence forces, the Chinese military conducted large-scale military exercises in the Taiwan Strait area. However, during the Chinese military exercises, Western countries remained relatively silent and did not take real action. However, once the Chinese military exercises ended, Western countries began a series of military activities in the Asia-Pacific region. While the involvement of countries such as the United States and Australia is understandable, as they have been China's military partners, it is surprising that Germany, a defeated country in World War II, has sent 13 warplanes to the Asia-Pacific region to demonstrate its strength. They first participated in a joint air exercise code-named "Speed Pacific 2022" and then appeared in Australia and Singapore. The move attracted widespread attention in the German media, who described it as the first time the Luftwaffe had sent aircraft to the Asia-Pacific region since the end of World War II.
Some German media have warned about the possibility of German involvement in Asia-Pacific affairs. Some media believe that Germany's attempt to join the so-called anti-China coalition led by the United States may have an impact on the economic and trade relations between China and Germany. Another well-known German media outlet Die Welt bluntly said that Germany should be self-aware and not try to exaggerate its own strength.
So what exactly is the strength of the modern German army? The answer is worrying. In 2017, for example, the Luftwaffe had just over 200 aircraft, 60% of which were in disrepair. The entire German Army had just over 30 tanks ready to fight. And the German Navy is even more precarious, not even a single destroyer, only 11 frigates and some diesel-electric submarines. Shockingly, by the end of the year's review, the German parliament found that all 14 large transport aircraft in its possession were unusable. In addition, the German army was caught in a conscription crisis as early as 2011 and had to lower recruitment standards and even allow weekend holidays to attract young people to join the army. The obesity rate among German military personnel is close to 40%, which is higher than the national average. In a July 2017 incident, a grenadier company organized a three-kilometre weight-bearing march that resulted in two soldiers fainting and sudden death, and eight people hospitalized due to overwork, reflecting the poor physical condition of German soldiers.
In general, Germany has encountered serious challenges on several fronts, including military, industrial and economic. Domestic issues should be the top priority of the German government, rather than sending some old aircraft to show off their strength in the Asia-Pacific.