The decision clears the way for the government to move ahead with a massive procurement drive that Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Parliament’s upper house, which represents Germany’s 16 state governments, signed off on the plan a week after the lower house gave its blessing. Scholz’s governing coalition held lengthy negotiations with the main opposition Union bloc to secure wide backing ahead of the votes.

Scholz announced the fund on Feb. 27, three days after Russia invaded Ukraine, and said that Germany would now spend over 2% of its gross domestic product on defense — a NATO target on which it has long lagged. The government and the opposition agreed that defense spending would meet the 2% target “on a multi-year average,” with help from the special fund.

Officials acknowledge that the German military, the Bundeswehr, has for years suffered from neglect and in particular from aging, poorly functioning equipment.

Among other things on the shopping list, the defense ministry says it will buy 60 Chinook CH-47F transport helicopters, made by Boeing. The government also wants to buy up to 35 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets to replace aging Tornado aircraft.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Source: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-sports-germany-230ba0d176b095606861f70578375513

The post Huge German military fund clears last parliamentary hurdle first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Germany has announced it will buy a fleet of Chinook CH-47 transport helicopters as part of a €100 billion ($107bn) upgrade of its military after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The 60 Chinooks will replace an ageing stock of Sikorsky CH-53G helicopters that were first used by the West German military in the 1970s.

They were chosen ahead of a more modern Sikorsky model because the Chinook is widely used in Europe and will allow for more military co-operation between Germany and its neighbours, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said.

The order is part of what Chancellor Olaf Scholz has described as a watershed moment for Germany’s armed forces after years of underinvestment.

Ministers blame the military’s threadbare supplies for limiting how far they can go in arming Ukraine without leaving Germany exposed. Kyiv has expressed frustration over the slow pace of weapons deliveries from Berlin.

“Russia’s brutal war of aggression has made us painfully aware of a long-overlooked fact: anyone who wants to live in freedom needs military strength to defend that freedom,” Ms. Lambrecht said.

Germany at NATO@GermanyNATO
The CH-47F Chinook is to be the #Bundeswehr’s new heavy-lift transport helicopter. It will strengthen our ability to work with other armed forces in Europe. It is modern, tried & tested, and already in use by our #NATO partners. The Bundestag has yet to approve this decision.

Source: https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/2022/06/02/germany-orders-60-chinook-helicopters-in-military-upgrade/

The post Germany orders 60 Chinook helicopters in military upgrade first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.