Nov. 11 at 4:53 PM
$RNMBY
BERLIN, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Germany plans to allocate nearly 19 billion euros (
$22.16 billion) to kit out soldiers with new clothes and personal equipment in the coming years, in addition to 7.5 billion for new wheeled armoured vehicles, said a finance ministry document.
The government justifies the troop apparel project known as FASER - with expenditures spread out until 2034 - with its ambitious recruitment goal of 460,000 soldiers by the mid-2030s, from the around 280,000 who now make up the Bundeswehr.
According to the ministry's budget documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday, Germany will also authorise some 7.5 billion euros through 2037 for the procurement of new wheeled armoured vehicles.
That will likely involve the purchase of between 3,000 and 5,000 Boxer vehicles manufactured jointly between Germany's Rheinmetall (RHM -3,11%) and Franco-German defence company KNDS, according to parliamentary sources.