Posted on June 24, 2026
By Bertrand Benoit and Alistair MacDonald
BERLIN—Germany said it had scrapped a €15.2 billion project (equivalent to $17.2 billion) to build its biggest military ship since the end of World War II in the latest sign of the country’s rapidly changing priorities as it embarks on a massive rearmament effort.
The Defense Ministry said it had decided not to pursue an order for six F126 made-to-order frigates and would instead purchase eight MEKO A-200 frigates, a simpler but proven design, from German shipbuilder TKMS.
Germany has embarked on its biggest military ramp-up since the end of the Cold War in reaction to mounting threats from Russia and signals that the U.S. wants to reduce its military footprint in Europe.
Berlin last year exempted military spending from a constitutional spending cap and plans to inject more than half a trillion euros into new hardware, infrastructure and personnel. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he wanted Germany to have the largest conventional military in Europe by the end of the decade.
As part of the process, the government has shaken up the military’s once ponderous procurement procedures. It is also moving away from ordering complex, tailor-made systems that often take years or even decades to be developed and end up well over budget, and toward more off-the-shelf solutions that can be deployed quickly.
