Germany is supposed to provide 18,000 troops to the 60,000 that are to make up the European Rapid Reaction Force in 2003 as well as heavy-lift aircraft, that is badly needed by the European forces in general.
It seems, however, that Germany will not be able to provide either the men or the machinery because of a shortfall in the budget. It needs to spend £73 billion over 15 years on a thorough modernisation of equipment; it also needs to transform an army, that is partly reliant on cons...
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