Germany plans to allocate nearly 19 billion euros (about $22 billion) to equip soldiers with new clothing and personal equipment in the coming years, in addition to 7.5 billion for new wheeled armored vehicles, a finance ministry document said.
The government justifies the troop clothing project known as FASER – with spending spread out until 2034 – with its ambitious goal of recruiting 460,000 soldiers by the mid-2030s, up from the roughly 280,000 who now make up the Bundeswehr.
According to ministry budget documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday, Germany will also authorize around 7.5 billion euros through 2037 for the procurement of new wheeled armored vehicles.
This is likely to involve the purchase of between 3,000 and 5,000 Boxer vehicles produced jointly between Germany’s Rheinmetall and Franco-German defense company KNDS, according to parliamentary sources.
Germany has been “on a rapid acquisition spree of defense equipment” after Chancellor Friedrich Merz secured the necessary support to exempt such spending from debt limits and build up its military – in a bid to take more responsibility for European security.
Germany’s total defense spending for 2026, including special funds, is planned to reach around 117.2 billion euros, achieving a NATO quota of around 2.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).