Germany to increase army to 198,000 by 2024 amid NATO spending row

German Bundeswehr army soldiers demonstrate their skills at Kaserne Hochstaufen (mountain infantry military barracks) in Bad Reichenhall, southern Germany, March 23, 2016. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is to increase its army by 5,000 soldiers, the defence ministry said on Tuesday, bringing the total to 198,000 in 2024, at a time when U.S. pressure is mounting on European NATO members to raise military spending.

"The German army faces demands like never before," Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that the army had to be able to respond in an appropriate way to developments abroad and security concerns.