Home reports politics Chancellor Scholz: "We need permanent production of our most important weapon systems"

Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz auf der Münchener Sicherheitskonferenz am 17.02.2023_Foto_Bundesregierung Denzel — Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Munich Security Conference on February 17, 2023 (Photo: Federal Government / Denzel)

Chancellor Scholz: "We need permanent production of our most important weapon systems"

February 17, 2023

At the Munich Security Conference today, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a turnaround in dealings with the armaments industry. For the past 20 years, the relationship between the Department of Defense and industry has been treated like buying a car. The government had assumed that there would always be a supply and ongoing production, the Chancellor continued. As a result, a system was ordered and production then came to a standstill. Scholz emphasized that this behavior had to change in order to protect one's own security and explained: "We need permanent production of our most important weapon systems. The same applies to repair and ammunition issues.”

As an example of a first step in this direction, Scholz named Rheinmetall's construction of a production line for the manufacture of 35mm ammunition for the anti-aircraft tank Gepard in Germany. This should ensure a constant supply of ammunition for the cheetahs deployed in Ukraine.

Neben einer nationalen Veränderung in der Haltung gegenüber der Rüstungsindustrie, müsse aber vor allem im Bereich der strategischen Rüstungspolitik auf europäischer Ebene an einem Strang gezogen werden. „Das sind Schritte hin zu einem Europa der Verteidigung und Rüstung. Das sind zugleich Schritte hin zu einem geopolitisch handlungsfähigeren Europa. Zu einem Europa, dass auch ein stärkerer transatlantischer Verbündeter ist. Dazu gehört, dass wir mehr tun, um Konflikte in unserer Nachbarschaft zu lösen“, sagte Scholz mit Blick auf Projekte wie das Futur Combat Air System (FCAS), das Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) oder die European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI).

Arms deliveries to Ukraine

The Chancellor also advocated the thesis that the weapons supplied by Germany and its partners would help to shorten the war. Scholz argued that the quicker Putin realized that he was not achieving his imperialist goal, the quicker he would withdraw his armed forces from Ukraine. However, the Federal Chancellor stressed that it was always important to strike a balance between providing the best possible support and avoiding an escalation between the nuclear power Russia and NATO. It applies "caution before quick shot and cohesion before solo performance".

Permanently two percent for defense

Deutschland bekenne sich auch zu seiner Verantwortung für die Sicherheit Europas und des NATO-Bündnisgebiets, so Scholz. Dies werde eingelöst mit der Bereithaltung einer Brigade zur Verteidigung Litauens, mit der Unterstützung Polens und der Slowakei bei der Flugabwehr, durch den Schutz kritischer Infrastruktur in Nord- und Ostsee und indem die Bundeswehr die NATO-Speerspitze in diesem Jahr anführe und dazu 17.000 Soldatinnen und Soldaten in Bereitschaft halte.

“In order to be able to do that and do even more in the future, we are putting an end to the neglect of the Bundeswehr. With the special fund of over 100 billion for the Bundeswehr, we have laid the foundation for this. These funds allow us to permanently change lanes when building up the capabilities of our Bundeswehr. Of course, with new combat aircraft, helicopters, ships and tanks, the costs for ammunition and equipment, for maintenance, training, training and personnel also increase. And so I want to reiterate here the statement I made in the Bundestag three days after the war began: Germany will increase its defense spendingpermanently at two percentof gross domestic product," Scholz continued.

However, the wording of his affirmation of NATO's two percent target has changed when compared to that of the turning point speech of February 27, 2022. There he said: “We will be year after year from now onmore than two percentof gross domestic product in our defense.”

It is unclear whether the formulation made today unintentionally deviated from the original one. However, there are sums of several billion euros between the two formulations, which would flow more or less into the defense budget, which is why an exact, consistent line is not insignificant here.

This new formulation also contrasts with the statements made by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Brussels at the beginning of the week. There he demanded that the two percent target should not be seen as a target but as a starting point for measuring the defense budget (ES&T reported).

Editorial staff / oh

Arms deliveries to Ukraine

Permanently two percent for defense

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