Saxony demands a fair share of the Bundeswehr's special funds!

Saxony demands a fair share of the Bundeswehr's special funds!

The discussion about rearmament and the associated issues, especially with regard to the Bundeswehr and the defense industry, is increasingly reminiscent of a game of chess. As the Pawn moves around the board, many states, particularly in the East, find themselves in a defensive position. According to Freitag, Saxony remains at a disadvantage when it comes to the billion-dollar special fund for the Bundeswehr, which is not without consequences for the local industry and jobs.

In 2022, of the 100 billion euros available for armament, only 20 billion in orders flowed into the new military infrastructure. Saxony, which received just 25 contracts worth a total of 73 million euros, accounts for just 0.3 percent of the federal government's total defense spending. This raises the question: Where is the state's potential for the defense industry?

Potentials and challenges in Saxony

The Chambers of Industry and Commerce in Saxony certainly see opportunities for new jobs and added value in the defense industry. President Andreas Sperl emphasizes Saxony's potential as an innovation engine, but the reality remains sobering. Over 90 percent of the defense clusters are located in West Germany, which weakens Saxony's position in the industry. Instead of defense policy strength, it could soon be more about discussions and consultations in the industry - this is also necessary in order to regain contact with the large arms companies such as Rheinmetall and Heckler & Koch, which are mainly based in western Germany Sächsische.de.

However, the planned military projects, such as the artificial model town “Schnöggersburg” for urban warfare exercises and the army officer school, also bring a touch of hope. Other projects on the horizon include redesigning the wagon construction in Görlitz in order to produce assemblies for the Leopard 2 and Puma. A newly planned location for the “Logistics Battalion 471” in Bernsdorf with 700 Bundeswehr members also offers prospects for the regional economy.

NATO plans and the German arms industry

But time is running out. At the NATO summit in The Hague it was confirmed that member states want to increase their defense budgets. In Germany, the defense industry is struggling with many challenges, including a significant backlog of orders. According to Tagesschau, there are no binding commitments for investments, which makes companies hesitant. Experts also criticize the manufacturing structure of German arms production.

The demand for fewer bureaucratic hurdles and faster security checks for employees highlights the urgent need for reform to keep the industry competitive. Collaboration with the automotive industry could be a way to optimize efficiency and costs.

But despite all the challenges: Saxony and eastern Germany are not “demilitarized”. The search for a realistic debate about the development of the arms industry shows that something is moving here. It remains to be seen whether the actors will take concrete steps to strengthen the military presence in the region when they meet in the fall. There really is something going on there and it will be exciting to see how the chess game continues.