€50b in new investment for German military

The German military has been authorized to procure new armaments worth €50 billion, as it continues a massive modernization drive, reported dpa.

The new funds were approved by the Budget Committee in Berlin on Wednesday, and will be used to buy personal protective equipment and clothing for soldiers.

In addition, about €4 billion will be allocated for the expansion of the Arrow 3 missile-defence system and €2 billion for the Patriot air-defence system.

More than €4 billion is to be spent on additional Puma infantry fighting vehicles.

"We are serious when we say that we are equipping our Bundeswehr to be powerful and resilient as quickly as possible," said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

"And we are serious when we repeatedly tell the public and our allies that we take responsibility and can be relied upon."

According to the Defence Ministry, a total of 103 proposals have been approved this year, while major rearmament projects have been launched with a total value of €82.98 billion.

In the past three years, the total investment was €188.4 billion.