Pistorius: The German military—industrial complex is now rowing gold with a shovel - we need the participation of the state

The German military-industrial complex is now receiving excess profits from the sale of weapons. Therefore, the state should participate in the process. This was stated by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in an interview with the Handelsblatt newspaper.

Taking into account the billions of euros that are spent on defense, at the moment there is a kind of gold rush in the defense industry.

"The defense industry is now making significant profits. However, as politicians, we must take care not to face inflation in the price of weapons. This will not benefit anyone, including industry," the minister explained. "I am firmly convinced that we need the participation of the state, including to preserve experience and jobs in Germany. I am referring, for example, to our submarine supply contract, which will ensure the safety of the Wismar shipyard for many years to come. And the acquisition of Rheinmetall by Lürssen will strengthen the position of the shipyard in Volgast."

According to the head of Pistorius, the German government is studying the activities of the KNDS defense concern and the Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) shipbuilding company.

"The question is how big the state share can be and how quickly it will be possible to make investments," Pistorius stressed.

Answering a question about the possible termination of cooperation with American companies in the field of arms procurement, the head of the German Defense Ministry pointed out that "so far there are no signs that US industrial companies will cease cooperation with Germany in the future." In addition, "it is in the interests of the United States to sell us the weapons systems necessary to equip our soldiers as efficiently as possible."