A leader of one of Germany’s largest arms manufacturers said the €100 billion (about $108 billion) increase in the country’s military budget was “too low” to meet the government’s goal of modernizing Germany’s military capabilities. ‘ said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a budget boost just days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“Many people talk about the fact that the defense budget is too small, and I can confirm it,” said Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger. told Reuters In this week’s video interview.
“Last year, for example, we couldn’t deliver trucks and ammunition because we didn’t have the budget or the money,” the CEO said.
In an interview, Papperger praised newly appointed German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius for the “absolute record” time it took for the two to converse.
“Mr. Pistorius is the 11th Minister of Defense I have seen in my time at Rheinmetall. We live in special times and there is a war going on in Europe,” he said.
Germany’s special defense fund, established last year, is no longer sufficient to meet its requirements, Pistorius said in an interview with the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, published on Friday.
He also said sending fighter jets to Ukraine was “out of the question” because Ukraine agreed to provide Leopard 2 tanks earlier in the week.
Rheinmetall’s CEO said in an interview that his company could increase production of tank ammunition to over 100,000 rounds “today” and that the weapons manufacturer has a total production capacity of over 240,000 rounds, but the gunpowder bottleneck is said there is.
He added that the demand for producing both tanks and artillery ammunition exacerbated the gunpowder shortage.
“This actually means we need more powder capacity in Europe and ideally one in Germany,” Papperger said.
The CEO said his company would need financial support from the German government if it wanted to build another ammunition factory to meet that potential demand.
“It will be a relatively large plant, as it will require building a specialized chemical plant that will cost between €700 and 800 million (approximately $761 million to $871 million),” Papperger said. says.
“This is an investment that industry alone cannot afford, an investment in national security that is needed,” he added.
A Rheinmetall spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday that it has 139 Leopard tanks in stock, but only 29 of its newest Leopard 2 combat tanks are in preparation for a weapon ring swap in April or May. Told. Rheinmetall also said it would take him about a year to have an inventory of 22 Leopard 2s ready, he added.
Inke Kappeler and Claudia Otto of CNN in Berlin contributed reporting for this post.