It wasn’t that many months ago when we were told that due to Donald Trumps incompetence,  the Unitest State had lost its place as “leader of the free world,” and now Angela Merkel of Germany was going to show us all how it’s done. But… in order to be a leader, you have to have *power.* And one of the most important ways for a nation to project power is with a navy. Whenever there’s a major hurricane or a tsunami, sooner or later a US Navy carrier battle group will show up to provide humanitarian and logistics support. Whenever Iran or China or the Somalis gets sporty with their naval piracy, the US Navy shows up to put a stop to it (or at least to *tell* them to stop). So… Germany. There was only ever one German aircraft carrier, and it was never completed nor did it see service; it was mostly built, but was ultimately used by the Soviets as target practice. Germany did have a number of battleships and battlecruisers, but by far Germanys biggest impact on naval power was with submarines. Seems like it might be a little challenging to rule the waves with little more than subs, but I suppose it can be done. So, how is the German submarine fleet doing these days?

Germany’s Entire Submarine Fleet Is Out of Commission

Das boot ist kaputt: German navy has zero working subs

Germany a whopping *SIX* submarines, none of which are functional. None of which even are nuclear powered or carry ballistic missiles.

Germany’s decrease in spending has had broad consequences across its entire military. Of the country’s 244 Leopard II tanks, only 95 are ready for action. In 2014, only 42 out of 109 Typhoon fighter jets were fully operational. Of the country’s 14 new A-400M Grizzly transport aircraft, sometimes none are available. And in 2015, when Germany debated sending Tornado strike jets to Syria, it was revealed that only 29 out 66 Tornados were airworthy. Given such low readiness rates, it’s not surprising the submarine force is also in a bind.

Good luck using that fleet of clunkers to control the ongoing invasion of Europe, Ms. Merkel. Good luck using them to convince Putin to not invade, conquer and annex Eastern Europe. I look forward to seeing how that military powerhouse is used to broker peace in the middle east or to foster contentment in the South China Sea, or keep things going smoothly as Russia and Norway and Canada fight over Arctic resources.