Modern warfare is changing rapidly. Drones, digital reconnaissance, and highly mobile combat operations are increasing the stress on military logistics. Without functioning logistics, the military adversary has already won. For Panzerbrigade 21 “Lipperland,” readiness therefore is clear: it does not end with the battle tank or in the foxhole — it begins with functioning supply systems. Exactly for this reason, the brigade, together with the Cyber Innovation Hub of the Bundeswehr, has developed a new digital solution: “Uber Munition,” an app-based tool for rapid and traceable ammunition provisioning in combat.
“We are now used to being able to track via apps at any time where a package or a pizza is currently in delivery. This technological progress must also give the military orientation,” explains Colonel Tobias Aust, commander of Panzerbrigade 21, during the final trial of the innovation project. Behind this, however, is not a comfort motive, but an operational necessity: “Current war images clearly show that fast and reliable logistics are decisive for the war. If the supply cannot keep pace with the tempo of the combat troops, the weapon will eventually be idle at the front.”
The brigade had repeatedly identified problems with the management of supply processes in its own exercises. Processes that work in routine operations with stationary infrastructure and complex administrative software quickly reach their limits under combat conditions. The currently used Battle Management System for logistical processes at the lowest level is not adequately usable by the mid-level forces. Especially in mobile combat, supply must be simple, robust and fast — even under time pressure, with short training, and during ongoing operations.
Ammunition at Your Fingertips
“More than once we have shown that logistics in combat must function differently than in peacetime operations,” explains Aust. The logistics of Panzerbrigade 21 trains under realistic conditions, most recently at the brigade training area in Bergen, and thereby also identifies crucial problems. Therefore the brigade actively seeks its own solutions: “We train realistically, identify problems early, and actively work on improvements.”
One solution emerged directly from the troops. The brigade’s logistics department developed the idea of an app-based ammunition provisioning, presented the idea to the Cyber Innovation Hub of the Bundeswehr. Together with all Jäger battalions of the brigade, they developed an app — Uber Munition. For more than a year, the application was tested, adjusted, and tried in exercises.
The principle is deliberately kept simple: If, for example, anti-tank missiles of the MELLS type are fired, the consumption can be recorded directly digitally by the commander of the fighting vehicle. With a tap of the finger, the leadership of the combat unit creates a requisition for all needed supply goods and the responsible logisticians can immediately allocate new ammunition; delivery, processing status, and handover remain traceable for all participants. The aim of Uber Munition is a quickly learnable and crisis-proof tool for the tactical level in combat, which should allow them to focus on fighting — not on complex administrative software.
Panzerbrigade 21 ist zentraler Pfeiler der Landes- und Bündnisverteidigung
The final evaluation of the project was successful. Numerous logistics experts from the Army were shown the app in a live demonstration and together developed important milestones for further development. Already at the brigade’s next large exercise at the Army’s Gefechtsübungszentrum Heer, the application is to be used again. “Our goal is clear: Uber Munition will be used to find solutions to existing challenges,” states Aust.
Panzerbrigade 21 is the first brigade of the German Army to be assigned to the new force category, Medium Forces. With its highly mobile, rapidly deployable formations, it is capable of moving quickly and flexibly across the entire NATO area of operations. High mobility, strong firepower, and robust protection make the large formation a central pillar of national and alliance defense.
