World News | German lawmakers approve defense purchases, including F-35 jets

BERLIN, Dec. 14 (AP) – German lawmakers on Wednesday approved a raft of defense acquisitions, including the purchase of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 fighter jets, as Berlin begins spending huge sums to bolster the country’s military.

Germany announced in mid-March that it planned to replace its aging Tornado bombers with 35 F-35A Lightning II aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons. It is one of a series of projects worth nearly 13 billion euros (nearly $13.8 billion) that has now been approved by parliament’s budget committee.

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Air Force Commander Ingo Gerhardts said pilot training for the F-35 will begin in 2026 and the first aircraft will arrive in Germany in 2027.

The German military does not have its own nuclear weapons, but it has bombers capable of carrying the US atomic bomb, some of which are based in Germany, as part of the nuclear deterrence system developed during the Cold War.

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The budget committee, which must approve any military procurement project over 25 million euros, approved a total of eight projects on Wednesday. They also included the purchase of new assault rifles and radio systems, as well as upgrades to the Puma armored personnel carrier.

Much of the money comes from a 100 billion euro military upgrade fund announced by Prime Minister Olaf Scholz days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February and approved by parliament in June.

Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht dismissed suggestions the government was moving too slowly in boosting defense spending. Officials moved quickly, she said, but “programs like this have to be negotiated carefully — it’s a tax.”

Officials acknowledged that the German military, known as the Bundeswehr, had been neglected for years, not least because of its aging and poorly functioning equipment. Scholz’s centre-left Social Democrats and the main centre-right opposition party, which led the government for 16 years under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, have accused each other of it. (Associated Press)

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