German army admits most of its newly acquired military hardware is faulty & unfit for service

Published time: 1 Nov, 2018 00:07

The bulk of the new military equipment delivered to the German Armed Forces last year is not ready for service, the German Defense Ministry has admitted, as the force struggles to free itself from a torrent of failures.

Out of 97 pieces of military equipment delivered to the Armed Forces in 2017, only 38 are fully operational, the German Defense Ministry acknowledged, in response to a parliamentary inquiry. The proportion of working equipment works out at about 39 percent, but the ministry hopes to boost these figures to 70 percent.

The fate of the cutting-edge Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) and the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft is what concerns the German military the most. Produced jointly by the German Kraus Maffei-Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall corporations, the 43-ton Puma is thought to be one of the world's best-protected IFVs, while still having a high power-to-weight ratio. However, the ministry's figures reveal that only 27 out of 71 IFVs delivered to the army in 2017 were actually combat-ready.

The troubles the German forces are experiencing are, however, not limited to these two types of military hardware. Additional reporting by the Defense Ministry suggests that only two out of seven 'Tiger' strike helicopters are ready for service; in the case of the NH90 transport copters, it’s four out of seven.

The 2017 delivery of four Eurofighter jets also ended up with only one of them being actually put into operation while three others were returned to the manufacturers to be re-fitted with new main on-board computers.

The shortcomings in the military industrial complex have been sharply criticized by the lawmakers. "Brand new military equipment [delivered] directly from the production lines of the defense industry [facilities] does not work. It is unacceptable that the industries are provided with materials and funded but it does not work," Matthias Hoehn, an MP from the Left Party, who was behind the inquiry, said.

The U33, U34 and U36 submarines are seen at the Eckerfoerde German Navy base. © Morris MacMatzen / Getty Images Das Boot ist kaputt! Germany has the world's best submarines… but none of them work

Hoehn also accused the German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen of "allowing defense industry bungling [worth] billions of dollars at the expense of the taxpayers." The minister herself called the statistics "not particularly meaningful," adding that the situation is "complex." "We know that there are certain shortcomings," she admitted.

The German military have been continuously struggling with a series of problems plaguing their equipment for quite some time. The German Army –known as Bundeswehr and one of NATO's largest militaries– is now a steady source of news about planes that can't fly, tanks that break down and vessels that are unfit for maritime operations.

Last autumn, Germany was literally left without its entire submarine fleet as all of them were either on maintenance or in dire need of repairs. In November 2017, it also became known that more than half of the Bundeswehr's tank fleet is unfit for service. Only 95 out of 244 Leopard 2 main battle tanks were said to be combat-ready, while the remaining tanks were either disarmed or lacked critical spare parts.

In February 2018, it turned out that the he German military can't find enough money to fund a long-awaited modernization of the Puma IFVs. In August, it was also revealed that the existing vehicles are not suitable for tall soldiers

https://www.rt.com/news/442801-germany-military-equipment-not-operational/

Senators push for chemical castration of pedophiles to protect Russian kids

Russia’s Federal Council is considering making it illegal to promote a sexual attraction to children and the introduction of forcible chemical castration as additional actions to tackle pedophilia.

Senator Elena Mizulina, who headed a Federal Council working group for improving measures to curb the abuse of minors, said that “chemical castration as a method of treatment should be allowed, based on the decision by a panel of psychiatrists.”

By ‘chemical castration’ she meant “introduction of drugs that suppress sexual desire into the human body,” the Senator said.

https://www.rt.com/russia/442773-chemical-castration-pedophile-mizulina/

Spying on GCHQ just got easier: agency joins Instagram vowing ‘a glimpse into our secret world’

In a move that will delight foreign intelligence agencies, GCHQ has officially joined Instagram, promising to provide followers with behind doors access to the top-secret signals intelligence organization.

GCHQ, who are tasked with trawling the darkest internet corners, officially joined the social network some two years after they, in a move fit for an episode of Black Mirror, became the first spy agency to join Twitter.

Their first Instagram post was of a picture of the gated GCHQ headquarters with a sign reading “no photography.” The caption read: "Well this is going to be interesting… Follow us for a glimpse into our secret world."

A GCHQ spokesperson stated that "People generally know we're working 24/7 to help keep the country safe, but they don't get the chance to see behind the scenes.

“Hopefully this will help dispel some myths and show who we are as individuals.”

The spy group’s representative hopes that their Instagram channel would “encourage talented people to consider working with us.”

"You'll not only learn about our work to stay one step ahead of those wishing to do us harm, but also get a glimpse at our hobbies, clubs and coffee shops.”

Despite their attempt at using social media to put on a friendly face, GCHQ has an uphill battle to redeem their reputation. The extent of government snooping came to light following the leaked documents of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013, who claimed “the largest programme of suspicionless surveillance in human history” was in operation.

“It's not just a US problem. The UK has a huge dog in this fight,” Snowden told the Guardian. “They [GCHQ] are worse than the US.”

Although the organization ostensibly operates in defense of the British state, they have been accused of spying on everyone from Green Party MPs to privacy NGOs.

It might take a lot more than an Instagram account for people to forget that.

https://www.rt.com/uk/442759-instagram-gchq-spying-social/

Dollars declined: India to pay for Russian air defense system in rubles

The contract between Moscow and New Delhi on supplies of Russian S-400 air defense systems will be settled in rubles, according to Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov.

The move comes as Moscow intensified recent efforts to make de-dollarization of the Russian economy one of the main pillars of its policy. The Kremlin is looking for an alternative to the US dollar in mutual settlements with international partners. The key point of the plan is to make it more profitable for Russian exporters and importers to use rubles instead of dollars.

https://www.rt.com/business/442716-india-s-400-ruble-settlement/

>>3684764

dug this up recently…full list

Who said it? - Immigration Edition

World Surf League bans cameramen zooming in on female competitors’ bottoms during tournament

One social media user says the event can expect its ratings to 'wipe out' this year as the effects of the #MeToo movement are felt

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/5806104/world-surf-league-bans-cameramen-zooming-in-on-bums/

BODYBUILDING ICON DEAD Mandy Blank dead at 42 – Fitness legend who trained Mickey Rourke and Matt LeBlanc passes away

Champion bodybuilder and celebrity trainer Mandy Blank has been found dead at her home in LA

The celebrity news site TMZ reported no drugs or alcohol were found at the scene and there was nothing criminally suspicious about her death.

It is understood an autopsy will be carried out as well as a toxicology report to determine the exact cause of death.

Her website claimed Bodybuilding and Fitness magazine had described her as having the "Greatest Glutes of All Time".

The bodybuilding star appeared on many front covers, including Iron magazine and Muscle mag.

Mandy's colleague Annette Milbers, who is also a strength and conditioning coach, told NY Daily News: "I'm absolutely shocked for sure. We messaged last week. She always made other people feel great."

It is believed no drugs or alcohol were found at the scene

Mandy's other clients are said to have included Alex Rodriguez, Jared Leto, Dave Navarro and Pauly Shore.

Blank died on October 29

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7631242/mandy-blank-dead-42-celebrity-trainer-mickey-rourke/

THE TOOTH IS OUT THERE Mystery as 1,000 human teeth are found hidden inside a WALL during renovation of former dentist’s building

The construction workers were left baffled by the find after they smashed into the wall in the building in Valdosta, Georgia

They found them in the Converse building in the city’s downtown area when they began to knock down a wall on the second floor.

As they struck the wall around a thousand human teeth spilled out.

City staff have been digging into the building's history to find an explanation as to why they were there and believe they may have come up with part of an answer.

Harry Evans, a researcher for the Lowndes County Historical Society and Museum, told the Valdosta Daily Times the building was once occupied by a dentist named Clarence Whittington in 1900.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7632837/georgia-construction-worker-1000-human-teeth-wall/