German railway faults delay US ammo shipments to Ukraine
A representative of the U.S. Department of Defence claims problems with the German rail contract have delayed the delivery of American ammunition to Ukraine. As highlighted in the report, this is one of several instances where Ukraine did not receive military equipment "on time" during critical phases of the war.
25 October 2024 12:13
According to an official report from the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defence, last year, deliveries of American ammunition to Ukraine were delayed by at least two months due to issues with a military contract with the German railway company Deutsche Bahn.
The report indicates that "multiple delays" occurred between December 2022 and January 2023, around the same time Ukraine began experiencing shortages of ammunition supplied by the U.S. This is one of several occurrences where shortages of American aid affected the Ukrainian army since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022.
The report was provided to Defense One, following a request made under the Freedom of Information Act.
There were no trains to deliver weapons to Ukraine. USA hired a ship
As we read, in at least one case "no rail service was available to transport the ammunition". The issue was eventually resolved by hiring ships to deliver it, which cost the United States approximately €1.5 million.
The report stated that the reason for the "multiple delays" was shortcomings in the transportation agreement between EUCOM (U.S. European Command) and the German railway company Deutsche Bahn.
Another section of the report states that the agreement "does not contain any requirement for Deutsche Bahn." However, the American side suggests that Deutsche Bahn rejected the military's request for some type of "service." The report noted that the German federal government owns the national carrier.
The report also recommended that the European Command explore alternative methods to transport ammunition to Ukraine.
Germany explains itself
The June report from the German Council on Foreign Relations noted that the capacity of the German rail network to transport military goods is limited by extensive bureaucracy, inadequate infrastructure investments, and an insufficient number of flatbed cars for transporting military goods.
Furthermore, as pointed out, military shipments must compete with commercial goods.
