Germany plans to allocate nearly 19 billion euros (22.16 billion USD) in the coming years to equip soldiers with new uniforms and personal gear.
An additional 7.5 billion euros will be invested in the purchase of new wheeled armoured vehicles, according to a document from the finance ministry.
The government justifies the FASER project – with expenditures spread out until 2034 – by its ambitious goal of increasing the number of soldiers to 460,000 by the mid-2030s, up from the current approximately 280,000 Bundeswehr personnel.
According to budget documents reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday, Germany will also allocate about 7.5 billion euros through 2037 for the procurement of new wheeled armoured vehicles.
Parliamentary sources indicate this will likely involve the purchase of 3,000 to 5,000 Boxer vehicles, jointly produced by Germany’s Rheinmetall and the Franco-German defence company KNDS.
Germany has significantly ramped up its defence spending recently, after Chancellor Friedrich Merz secured the political support needed to exempt these expenditures from debt limits.
The aim is to strengthen the under-equipped army and take on greater responsibility for Europe’s security.
(reuters, lud)