I take back what I said to Chancellor Mertz. See here. German industry is taking the initiative to improve Europe’s ability to protect itself.
[IsraelTimes] Report says car giant looking to save 2,300 jobs at embattled Osnabrück factory; some locals worry it could make city a target, while others doubt Dome’s value to Europe"some say" and "others" = a way to weave opposition narrative into a news story without real sources
German automotive giant Volkswagen is in talks with Israeli state-owned defense firm Rafael to convert a struggling car manufacturing plant to produce parts for the Iron Dome, according to a new report, though the city where the plant is located is wrestling with the idea of switching to defense production as it awaits the results of negotiations.
The factory, which is located in the Lower Saxony industrial city of Osnabruck, has been slated to shut down since late 2024, but according to a report in the Financial Times, Rafael and Volkswagen hope to save some 2,300 jobs by converting it, and eventually to sell the Iron Dome system to European governments.
"The aim is to save everybody, maybe even to grow," the report quoted someone familiar with the plans as saying. "The potential is so high. But it’s also an individual decision for the workers if they want to be part of the idea."
According to the FT, citing a second source, the German government is "actively supporting" the plan.
There would be a certain irony to the move, with Volkswagen having its origins as the state-backed automaker of Nazi Germany.
Many in Osnabruck support the idea, including mayoral candidate Robert Alferink of the Social Democrat party: "We need to bring [new] companies to Osnabruck, not just focus on preserving what’s already here."
Alferink conceded that he would prefer the plant remain an automotive factory, though he said anything that creates jobs in the city would be a welcome addition.
Local columnist Thomas Ludwig of the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung also offered support for the plan, saying anyone interested in Germany’s economic future should follow the talks between Rafael and Volkswagen and "wish the negotiators good luck."
However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome...
not everyone in the so-called city of peace backs the idea, as some locals told the FT that they fear the shift toward defense weapons manufacturing could make the city a target of attacks in the future.
"The arms industry is obviously something that has to exist in some way, but it’s also not something you necessarily want right on your doorstep," said one local, Andre Fischer.
Others are also skeptical that European governments would actually buy the Iron Dome systems that would be produced at the plant, with air defense expert Sidharth Kaushal arguing that the short-range rocket interceptors would add "pretty much no value" to defending Western Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...from Russia or other adversaries.
The Iron Dome was designed to defend against smaller projectiles fired from a range of around 100 kilometers (60 miles), not against ballistic missiles or long-range drones that Russia could fire.
"We have no need for it in Germany unless the Russians are already at the Oder river," a German defense executive told the FT.
However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome...
Kaushal said, the system could be used by Scandinavian or Baltic countries within rocket-firing range of Russia or Belarus, or by Western European militaries to protect expeditionary forces stationed abroad.
One Osnabruck local said that he would have been against the idea of hosting arms manufacturing in the city years ago, but recent global events have made him rethink it.
"Four years ago, I would have been very pacifist in my views and would have said we don’t need this," said Frank Mönter, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and recent shifts in US foreign policy prompted "a change in my thinking."
Germany already hosts a Rafael plant, which produces Spike missiles for European militaries in a joint venture with German defense giants Diehl Defence and Rheinmetall. Volkswagen already produces military equipment, making military trucks alongside its subsidiary MAN and Rheinmetall.
Under the plans, the Osnabruck plant would make various parts for the Iron Dome, including the trucks that carry the system’s missiles, launchers and generators — though it would not produce the interceptor missiles themselves.
Responding to the initial report, a Volkswagen spokesperson said it was in talks with "various market players" but added that there were "currently no concrete decisions or conclusions regarding the future direction" of the Osnabruck plant.
Regardless of the negotiations between the two companies, employees at the factory would have to agree to the plans, according to a source who said that some may be uncomfortable with shifting to weapons production. If approved, the factory could be switched over to Iron Dome production within 12-18 months, another source said.