Reevaluating the Function of the Armaments Sector
In a significant shift, Germany's arms industry has assumed a more prominent role under Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the 2025 federal election government. This evolution aligns with a broader and more assertive security policy, marking a historic departure from previous restraint towards large-scale rearmament and modernization of the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) to address heightened security threats, particularly from Russia.
The new government has given the industry a clear political mandate: more investments, faster processes, and clear prioritization. This mandate is to be communicated responsibly and anchored in society. The arms industry is urged to prioritize public communication campaigns, focusing on their contribution to the protection of democracy and population.
The government's new security policy narrative speaks not only of threat, but of protection, alliance capability, and responsibility in an unstable world. To this end, new formats for communication are needed, such as town hall discussions, social media dialogues, and targeted partnerships with science and civil society. Political communication is seen as a strategic tool for stability, legitimacy, and trust.
The opportunity to gain trust has rarely been greater - and never more necessary. Companies are encouraged to open up and provide insights into their production and decision-making processes. They should demonstrate their ethical standards, handle sensitive technologies, and draw their own boundaries. The government must recognize that trust is a prerequisite for a societal mandate for defensibility, with processes, decisions, and conflicts of interest being transparent.
One of the key points of the new role and responsibility of Germany’s arms industry is massive rearmament and modernization efforts. Germany has ordered nearly 1,400 advanced military logistics vehicles from Rheinmetall worth approximately €770 million to improve the Bundeswehr’s mobility and operational readiness. This is part of wider efforts to modernize armed forces and acquire cutting-edge weapon systems.
Germany’s defense budget remains high, maintaining spending above NATO’s 2% GDP target through 2026, with a focus on procurement of air force capabilities alongside land and other domains. The shift towards an independent and assertive defense policy is also evident, with the arms industry supporting Germany’s strategic goal to strengthen national defense, lead European strategic autonomy, and enhance NATO unity.
Amidst this expansion, Germany remains a significant arms supplier, such as to Israel with over €485 million in exports in 2025. However, this has been met with domestic public and legal challenges targeting tighter export controls and calls for bans amid ethical concerns.
Arms manufacturers are also involved in providing new technologies such as long-range missile systems, fulfilling Germany’s commitments under its revamped security policies. Overall, Germany’s arms industry in 2025 functions as a crucial enabler of the country’s new defense posture under Chancellor Merz—supporting rapid military modernization, expanding export roles under close scrutiny, and fulfilling Berlin’s strategic ambitions of enhanced security independence and NATO leadership.
- The Government's new security policy emphasizes that the arms industry's role should extend beyond production to political communication, focusing on demonstrating their contribution to the protection of democracy, population, and alliance capability.
- As Germany pursues massive rearmament and modernization of its armed forces, political communication becomes a strategic tool, essential for gaining trust, securing a societal mandate, and fostering transparency in processes, decisions, and potentially contentious issues.
