Head of tank supplier Renk criticizes armaments policy
The head of tank supplier Renk, Susanne Wiegand, sees too much armaments money flowing abroad. Many billions go to the USA, for example for fighter planes and helicopters. "However, it particularly pains me that, unlike in other countries, we in Germany do not consistently demand work packages of foreign armaments for our domestic manufacturers," Wiegand criticized in the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper (Monday). "It would also make sense in principle for armaments purchased abroad to be maintained in Germany."
After 30 years of disarmament, Germany is no longer capable of defending itself. "Since the end of the Cold War, the number of military vehicles in the Bundeswehr has been reduced by around 90 percent. In the navy, it was around 70 percent," said Wiegand. In order to plug the holes, Germany must keep its promise to NATO to invest two percent of its gross domestic product in defense. "The target must not be met with budgetary tricks," said the Renk boss: "We must not now play daycare centers, wind turbines and tanks off against each other. We need money for social issues, the energy transition and national defense. "
At the same time, she praised Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius (SPD): "He calls a spade a spade and talks straight," said Wiegand. "Pistorius is doing a great job."
Renk has experienced a boom due to the armaments boom in the wake of the war in Ukraine. At the beginning of October, however, the company surprisingly had to cancel a planned IPO.
Wiegand advocates for securing work packages from foreign defense purchases for domestic manufacturers within Germany's economic policy. The renewed focus on defense spending, as promised to NATO, should not compromise investments in social issues and the energy transition.
Source: www.dpa.com
