BERLIN  Germany plans to purchase new military hardware worth €377 billion ($439 billion) as part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s efforts to build “the strongest conventional army in Europe,” Politico reported Monday, citing new internal government documents. A 39-page list lays out desired purchases of land, air, sea and space weapons for the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) for its 2026 budget. Clients have already been identified for more than half of the listed projects. However, the