German rail delays impact American ammunition deliveries to Ukraine

According to an official report from the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense, 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.

According to the report, "numerous delays" occurred between December 2022 and January 2023, around the same time Ukraine began running short of ammunition supplied by the U.S. This is one of several instances 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 in response to a request made under the Freedom of Information Act.

As we read, in at least one case "there was no rail available to transport the ammunition". The issue was eventually resolved by hiring ships to deliver it, which cost the United States approx. $2.2 million CAD.

The report stated that the "repeated 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 "did not include any requirement for Deutsche Bahn to take action." 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 other ways to transport ammunition to Ukraine.

The June report from the German Council on Foreign Relations stated 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.

Furthermore, as noted, military shipments must compete with commercial goods.

Source: defenseone.com/WP