Nordrhein‑Westfalia’s economy minister, Mona Neubaur of the Greens, is demanding that the federal government bring the states into the security‑policy turnaround in a much stronger way. “Military capability isn’t built on paper; it’s made on the ground” she told “Die Welt”. “That is why we need a real partnership between the federal government and the states. It can’t be decided solely in Berlin; it has to be decided in the states”.
Without available land, swift approvals, skilled workers, and regional innovation ecosystems federal decisions will have little effect. “Those who seriously want military capability must systematically involve the states” Neubaur said.
According to “Die Welt”, Neubaur has sent a letter – a so‑called “brand letter” – to Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. In the letter she acknowledges that the federal government has taken important signals with its “special fund” and investment impulses, but argues that the states have so far been neither strategically considered nor structurally linked to federal actions.
The letter states, “Given the urgency of the situation, this deficit can no longer be tolerated”. The green minister calls for a much stronger, systematic inclusion of the states in the strategic development of the turnaround and proposes a “joint conference of federal and state governments to strengthen the defence industry”.
Her goal is a shared situation assessment, clear definition of roles and responsibilities for federal and state actors, binding coordination of existing initiatives, and an established format of cooperation. With such a format the federal government’s political targets could be implemented faster, more effectively, and more precisely.
Neubaur also stresses the pivotal role of the states in the turnaround. They are the primary facilitators for investment, settlement, and the development of industrial capacity. Core prerequisites – such as land availability, approval processes, workforce development, infrastructure, and regional funding instruments – largely fall under state jurisdiction. The necessary decisions occur mostly at the state and municipal level, where democratic negotiation and participation processes also take place. “Without these, the societal backing for the turnaround can’t be organized sustainably” she says.