BERLIN, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Germany plans to allocate

nearly 19 billion euros ($22.16 billion) to kit out soldiers

with new clothes and personal equipment in the coming years, in

addition to 7.5 billion for new wheeled armoured vehicles, said

a finance ministry document.

The government justifies the troop apparel project known as

FASER - with expenditures spread out until 2034 - with its

ambitious recruitment goal of 460,000 soldiers by the mid-2030s,

from the around 280,000 who now make up the Bundeswehr.

According to the ministry's budget documents seen by Reuters

on Tuesday, Germany will also authorise some 7.5 billion euros

through 2037 for the procurement of new wheeled armoured

vehicles.

That will likely involve the purchase of between 3,000 and

5,000 Boxer vehicles manufactured jointly between Germany's

Rheinmetall and Franco-German defence company KNDS,

according to parliamentary sources.

Germany has been on a defence buying spree after Chancellor

Friedrich Merz secured the backing needed to exempt such

spending from debt limits and build up its underequipped army in

a bid to take greater responsibility for European security.

Germany's 2026 total defence spending, including special

funds, is planned to reach about 117.2 billion euros, reaching a

NATO quota of around 2.8% of gross domestic project (GDP).

($1 = 0.8575 euros)

(Reporting by Markus Wacket, writing by Miranda Murray, editing

by Thomas Seythal)