Published by Jessica Weisman-Pitts
Posted on November 29, 2024
2 min readLast updated: January 28, 2026
BERLIN (Reuters) -German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius wants to purchase four submarines in a deal worth more than 4.7 billion euros ($5 billion) that will require parliamentary spending committee approval, two sources told Reuters on Friday, confirming a news report.
BERLIN (Reuters) -German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius wants to purchase four submarines in a deal worth more than 4.7 billion euros ($5 billion) that will require parliamentary spending committee approval, two sources told Reuters on Friday, confirming a news report.
In a request submitted to the committee, the ministry says the acquisition is needed for Germany to fulfil new NATO requirements for better protection of the alliance’s northern flank, according to Spiegel news magazine, which has seen the documents.
The ministry is seeking to procure four more Type 212CD submarines which are manufactured by Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, sources told Reuters.
Thyssenkrupp did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The defence ministry said that ongoing parliamentary talks about funds for further defence procurement were “good and constructive” without providing detail on specific projects.
In total, the budget committee has received 29 so-called “25-million euro proposals” for defence and equipment projects that are to be adopted this year, budget committee members told Reuters. Any military procurement worth more than 25 million euros needs approval from the parliamentary budget committee.
Members of the budget committee told Reuters that they are analysing it.
We are paying particular attention to the proposal to purchase additional submarines due to its importance in terms of security policy, but also because of the high amount of funds required,” said Karsten Klein, member of the budget committee from the Free Democrats (FDP).
Another committee member told Reuters that the proposal is to be decided on this year.
($1 = 0.9446 euros)
(Reporting by Rachel More, Friederike Heine and Maria Martinez; editing by Thomas Seythal and Jason Neely)
NATO requirements are the standards and obligations set by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that member countries must meet to ensure collective defense and security.
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater, used primarily by navies for military purposes, including surveillance, reconnaissance, and combat.
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