The Christian Social Union (CSU) of Bavaria has unveiled its plan to strengthen Germany’s armed forces, which includes, among other things, increasing the army’s personnel to 500,000, as reported by the DPA news agency.
According to the agency, the first point of the plan is to increase the number of combat-ready soldiers and reservists to 500,000, as well as to reinstate compulsory military service and strengthen ties with society.
Additionally, the CSU proposes improving the supply of military units and creating a strong reserve, which would include 300 battle tanks, 500 infantry fighting vehicles, and 2,500 transport vehicles. The plan also includes the creation of a “drone army” consisting of 100,000 unmanned aerial vehicles.
Furthermore, the party intends to produce 1,000 new Taurus cruise missiles and develop missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers. The CSU also proposes creating an equivalent to Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, which would include 2,000 interceptor missiles.
To finance these measures, the CSU insists on increasing defense spending to 3% of the country’s GDP. It was previously reported that last year, the size of the German military decreased for the second consecutive year, reaching 181,150 personnel, while the target number is 203,000 servicemen.
