Germany To Boost Defense Budget by 133M Euros

7 Sep 2011 By ALBRECHT MULLER DefenseNews

BERLIN - German defense spending would rise to 31.7 billion euros ($44.5 billion), up 133 million euros, under a 306 billion-euro 2012 federal budget presented to Parliament on Sept. 7.

Thomas de Maizière said during the parliamentary debate Sept. 7 that the budget would shrink to 30.4 billion euros by 2015.

Personnel costs in 2012 would account for about 10.3 billion euros, less than one-third of the total and down nearly 1.7 billion from this year.

The budget includes 200 million euros to help recruit service members into a military that suspended conscription in July, de Maizière said.

"Germany needs combat-ready and serviceable armed forces, which in quality of equipment and training match the international significance and weight of our country," he said.

The secretary said he has reviewed ongoing procurement programs and will talk to industry, potentially to renegotiate existing contracts.

The 2012 budget contains 1.08 billion euros for Germany's current nine operations abroad, up 30 percent from this year's.

Now the accordant committees of the parliament and the Bundesrat, the parliament's upper house, will discuss the 2012 budget and case final ballots in December.