German lawmakers vote to approve huge fund for military

By GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers have approved a $107-billion special fund to strengthen the country’s military. Friday’s vote paved the way for a massive procurement drive three months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine jolted the government into action. The fund won broad support in parliament’s lower house after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition held lengthy negotiations with the main opposition Union bloc. Parliament’s upper house, which represents Germany’s state governments, will still need to approve the plan. Officials say the German military has for years suffered from neglect and in particular from aging, poorly functioning equipment. Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht told parliament that the money would be well invested “in the security and peace of our country.”