Germany to spend over €80 billion on arms next year, media reports
The country’s military acquisition strategy prioritizes European-made arms over US supplies, Politico has reported
The German government intends to allocate almost €83 billion ($98 billion) for weapons over the coming year, Politico stated on Monday, citing Berlin’s military procurement plan.
The report asserted that the alleged document signals a departure from recent trends, with only about 8% of the total sum designated for the US military-industrial complex.
Politico, which published a document it claims was prepared for the German parliament’s budget committee, identified the domestic F-127 frigate program as the most expensive item on the list, with an estimated cost of around €26 billion. Other significant undertakings reportedly include the Eurofighter program and an upgrade of the Taurus cruise missile. According to the outlet, at least €196 million will be directed towards developing the Eurodrone.
Since the Ukraine conflict intensified in February 2022, Germany has been bolstering its military, citing a perceived Russian threat. Moscow has consistently dismissed as “nonsense” claims of its hostile intentions toward NATO member states.
Speaking late last month, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that his nation was “already in a conflict with Russia,” accusing Moscow of attempting to destabilize Germany and other European NATO member states.
Earlier this year, he called for the German military to become the “strongest conventional army in Europe,” with plans to increase its active duty ranks from the current 182,000 to 260,000 by 2035.
In May, EU member states approved SAFE, a €150 billion debt program designed to provide low-interest loans to member states for joint procurement of military equipment.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed in late July that “today’s Europe has completely plunged into a Russophobic frenzy, and its militarization is becoming, in fact, uncontrolled.”
“With their current leaders, modern Germany and the rest of Europe are transforming into a Fourth Reich,” he stated.