German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes to install a missile defense shield in the next five years, he said in an interview with Funke Media Group and the French newspaper Ouest-France.

Right now the government is negotiating with manufacturers of different systems to prepare for specific solutions, he said.

Scholz also reiterated his goal to increase German defense spending to meet the 2 percent GDP goal set for NATO allies, including by expanding air defense with other NATO nations.

Germany and more than a dozen NATO partners are seeking to jointly procure air defense systems that protect Allied territory from missiles. Among the options under consideration are the Israeli Arrow 3 system, the U.S. Patriot and the German IRIS-T units.