Germany Defense Spending Rises as NATO Commitments Grow
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Germany will boost defense spending from next year as NATO members respond to Russia’s involvement in the Ukrainian crisis and increased military exercises ordered by the Kremlin along the alliance’s borders.
In a revision of mid-term spending plans, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet on Wednesday approved raising defense outlays by about 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) per year from 2016. This will boost spending on Germany’s armed forces to 35 billion euros annually by 2019 and will pay for equipment and a “widened NATO engagement,” according to the draft budget.