A senior executive of the German Association of the Security and Defense Industry has expressed a positive view on the announcement by Chancellor Friedrich Merz to make the German army the strongest in Europe. According to the executive, Hans-Christoph Atzpodien, the goal can be achieved, but certain conditions must be met.
Firstly, significant funding is required, which is theoretically available due to a constitutional amendment, but the executive finds it difficult to implement the necessary investments under the current provisional budget management. As a result, a valid federal budget or decisions from the budget committee, at least in the defense sector, are needed, Atzpodien emphasized.
Secondly, the executive stressed the importance of a timely announcement of the required resources, coordinated with European partners. The planned implementation in 2029 is considered short and the industry needs to know the needs as soon as possible to prepare for the procurement process, particularly for the items without existing framework agreements.
Lastly, Atzpodien emphasized the need to simplify the procurement rules, as agreed upon in the coalition contract, by, for example, simplifying the tender law or accelerating the security clearance process for employees by the domestic intelligence agency.
The executive believes that the German economy has the capacity to achieve the goal and that the market can drive the transformation, for instance, by shifting production capacities from the automotive industry.