Minister: Number of German troops should be increased by 50,000-60,000 people

As part of meeting new NATO requirements to increase defense capabilities, the number of servicemen in the German Armed Forces should be increased by 50,000-60,000 people, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said ahead of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Defense in Brussels, Report informs via TASS.

"We assume, but this is only a rough estimate to make it clear, that we need about 50,000-60,000 more troops in the permanent armed forces than we have today," he said.

At the same time, the minister noted that for now, the military service will be voluntary.

At the same time, the target package (contribution to the defense of the North Atlantic Alliance) of Germany, according to him, will become the second largest in NATO.

Today, the number of Bundeswehr troops is about 183,000.