Germany Orders Five More Navy Ships
Germany has agreed to spend 1.5 billion euros to buy five more corvettes for the navy, the navy said on Friday, and Die Welt newspaper quoted lawmakers as citing the need for greater security in the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean.
Die Welt said lawmakers planned to introduce the funding proposal in parliament in mid-November, MANA correspondent reported.
"To meet new security needs in the Baltic Sea, in the Mediterranean Sea, and globally, the coalition plans to buy five new corvettes for 1.5 billion euros for the German Navy," the paper quoted Social Democrat Johannes Kahrs and Christian Democrat Eckhard Rehberg as saying.
Die Welt said Germany's goal was to have two of the new ships enter service as early as 2019, with the remaining three to follow in 2023.