Germany’s Defense Ministry confirmed that around 20,000 rounds of ammunition intended for the armed forces were stolen from a civilian contractor’s trailer last week.

The theft occurred between November 24 and 25 while the trailer was parked overnight, and was discovered on November 28.

The military is investigating the incident with local police and emphasized the seriousness of ensuring such ammunition does not fall into the wrong hands.

The heist comes as Germany is expanding its armed forces, aiming to increase active personnel to 260,000 and add 200,000 reservists by 2035, CNN has reported.

Germany also remains a major ammunition supplier for Ukraine, recently opening Europe’s largest ammunition factory to meet demand.