The new debacle comes on top of several alarming headlines in the German media recently about the state of the country's military. Even when completed in 2015, not all the Pumas could be used. But the Puma was plagued with technical issues, including a leaky roof hatch, restricted sight-lines for the driver and electronics issues. Originally green-lit in 2002, the tank was meant to replace the older Marders, which Germany has been using since the 1970s. The highly complex Pumas, which cost €17 million ($18 million) each, took over a decade to develop. The older Marder tanks will be used in NATO exercises for now, as had already been planned, she said. Lambrecht said she had commissioned the relevant departments of the military and manufacturers Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall to provide her with an analysis of what has gone wrong by the end of next week. "Our troops must be able to rely on weapon systems being robust and stable in combat." "The criticism from parliament is entirely justified," Lambrecht said in a statement released Monday. And if the Puma is not operational, then the army is not operational." "The Puma is supposed to be a main weapon system of the German army. "It's a nightmare," Christian Democrat (CDU) parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul told German public broadcaster ARD. The conservative opposition was quick to jump on the news as supposed evidence of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's mismanagement of the Bundeswehr, particularly under the control of Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht. The German military faced yet another PR disaster on Monday after reports emerged over the weekend that a training exercise involving one of its key weapons, the Puma tank, left not a single one operational.
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