German Chancellor Olaf Scholz should "put his foot down" in the dispute over funding of the armed forces, according to the chairman of the Bundeswehr Association, Colonel André Wüstner.
"If our government does not want phrases such as defence capability, protection or military capability to be mere empty words, chancellor Scholz must exercise his authority to issue directives and put his foot down," Wüstner told dpa in Berlin.
If he fails to do so, the so-called "Zeitenwende," or turning point, must be declared over, at least for the armed forces, the colonel added.
Shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Scholz coined the term "Zeitenwende" to announce a turning point in Germany's defence policy.
The German government pledged that it would invest 2% of its total economic output into the military for the first time in decades - a long-held NATO target - and announced a €100 billion ($107 billion) special defence fund for this purpose.
Specifically, Wüstner warned that the German defence industry would not be able to continue the urgently needed expansion of its capacities if the spending of the funds was determined by the end of this year without the future course being clear.
According to the Defence Ministry, around 80% of the special fund is currently "committed" - referring to binding decisions such as contracts, binding orders and political decisions. By the end of this year, 100% of the fund will be committed in this way.
The special fund is expected to last until 2027.
"It's good that many in the governing coalition and also in the opposition are now talking about increasing the defence budget. It would be better if they actually did it," Wüstner said.
"Without a corresponding increase in the defence budget - the defence minister has formulated an additional requirement of around €6.7 billion - Germany would stifle the difficult process of capacity building in the defence industry that has only just begun."
His concern is aimed at the fact that, from the industry's point of view, the cake could then be divided up to a certain extent.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported on Monday that the special fund was practically "already gone." "The €100 billion special fund for the Bundeswehr is not enough," the newspaper stated.
A spokesman for the Defence Ministry said in Berlin on Wednesday: "It's true. The special fund has been earmarked. And it is our task to think about how we can best utilize these funds in the spirit of the new era for armed forces that are fit for war and able to defend themselves."
It is currently unclear how additional money is to be raised after 2027. Wüstner is now warning of the consequences of this situation.
"We would continue to maintain a Bundeswehr with only limited defence capabilities and, as was the case after the summit decisions in Wales in 2014 and Warsaw in 2016, would once again be seen as a less reliable ally within NATO," he told dpa.
"In view of Russian aggression, with its threat to our peace in freedom, and against the backdrop of the upcoming US presidential election, it would be doubly irresponsible to allow doubts about the honouring of our commitments."
