Puma fighting vehicle to be used in key NATO mission during the first half 2023

BERLIN (Reuters), Jan 13th, 2019 – Germany is planning to deploy Puma infantry fighting units for a critical NATO mission in the first quarter of 2023. This comes after Berlin pulled the Puma from its quick response force.

Eberhard Zorn stated, “As soon we have sufficient vehicles fixed and operational for one company,” referring to NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force.

Germany is the leader of NATO’s quick response unit, which constitutes NATO’s first line of reinforcement and response in the event of conflict with Russia.

Zorn stated, “I strongly expect this (to have the Puma ready to the VJTF in the first half)”

Christine Lambrecht, Germany’s Defense Minister, said in December that Germany would not purchase more Pumas until they proved themselves reliable. This was after several of them were taken out of service during an exercise.

The Puma, an armoured vehicle with armor that can carry troops into battle, is the Puma.

Shares in Rheinmetall AG, which manufactures the armoured vehicles together with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co (KMW), went down 7% after the minister’s announcement.

Germany temporarily replaced the Puma for the VJTF with the decades-old Marder infantry combat vehicles, which are more capable than the Puma and will continue to do so in the future.

Germany pledged to increase defence spending and modernise the military after the Ukraine conflict. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold & Miranda Murray; editing by Rachel More