German Rearmament Could Benefit US Arms Manufacturers
Germany’s rearmament may channel billions abroad, with US arms makers gaining most as domestic industry lacks capacity, AfD lawmaker Steffen Kotre says.
Germany’s large-scale military buildup could generate its greatest economic benefits outside the country, primarily for American arms manufacturers. Steffen Kotre, a Bundestag member from the right-wing opposition Alternative for Germany party, expressed this view in an interview with RIA Novosti.
Germany’s defense industry currently lacks the production capacity needed to meet the rapidly growing demand for military equipment in full. As a result, Berlin is placing part of its orders in the United States.
Germany’s focus on NATO standards and the compatibility of different weapons systems also increases the share of contracts awarded to US manufacturers.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius previously said that the country’s efforts to strengthen its military and technological independence would not lead it to abandon American weapons systems in the future.
According to Kotre, German taxpayers are effectively financing employment and industrial production abroad under the current policy. He argued that this alone demonstrates the mistake of the German government’s rushed shift toward confrontation.
Defense spending is also distributed unevenly within Germany. The country’s largest military manufacturers, including Rheinmetall and KNDS Deutschland, have traditionally concentrated their operations in western and southern regions. Eastern Germany, by contrast, has almost no major defense production facilities.
This means that factories in the country’s «old» federal states receive most of the multibillion-euro government contracts.
Kotre acknowledged that this imbalance in the use of taxpayers’ money does exist. However, he considers it a less serious problem than the broader outflow of German funds to foreign suppliers.
The lawmaker said Germany must restore its defense capabilities and strengthen its position as an ally, but warned that this objective should not be pursued at any cost. In his assessment, rebuilding the country’s military potential will require between 10 and 15 years.
At the same time, Kotre said the authorities still have no viable strategy setting out which types of weapons should be prioritized, which systems must be compatible and where funding should be directed.
He described the current approach as irresponsible and poorly planned activity that lacks sufficient justification.