A mountain infantry soldier during a practice exercise near Bavarian village Bad Reichenhall, southern Germany | Christof Stache/AFP via Getty Images Germany plans military expansion after decades of downsizing Defense minister responds to surge in new threats by pledging more funds and resources.

The German army should be given more money and manpower after 25 years of downsizing, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday.

Von der Leyen said she wants an extra 14,300 soldiers and 4,400 reservists recruited over the next seven years — 7,000 of the soldiers will be new recruits and 5,000 through what the minister called "internal restructuring." That will leave a shortfall of just over 2,000 by 2023.

According to the minister, the army needs to "modernize in all areas."

"That is a turnaround for us. We need to move away from a process of permanent shrinkage," Von der Leyen said, adding that the extra troops were needed to deal with new threats and growing responsibilities.

Since the end of the Cold War, the German army has been reduced in size, falling from 585,000 soldiers in 1990 to 177,000 today. The number of reservists fell from 215,000 in 1990 to 87,000 today.

The military will also start 16 overseas missions, the minister said, and its budget will rise from €34.3 billion to €39.2 billion in 2020.

The plans need the approval of the German parliament.