What does the deployment of production workers in the defence industry look like?

The defence industry was treated like a neglected child for a long time. This was true with regard to politics and the so-called peace dividend and also with regard to the population and their desire for peace. However, times are changing and the changes are happening faster and more strongly than we could have expected just a few years ago.

These changes bring with them a new significance for the defence industry, which is now tasked with making up for all the years of neglect. This means producing faster, more, better and at a lower cost. But this also means that production workers in this industry are now more in demand than ever.

What is the defence industry in Germany as a whole and what is the peace dividend all about?

The German defence industry is an important sector of the economy that fulfils several tasks. Firstly, it provides all the materials, weapons, ammunition and more that are needed for national and alliance defence. Secondly, it is tasked with manufacturing internationally leading products in these areas. It is not about giving our soldiers weapons, but about providing our soldiers with the best weapons. This puts them in a position to prevail against an opponent in conflicts with as few losses as possible.

Thirdly, the defence industry serves to supply allied countries. This in turn helps to defend Germany, because together we are strong. It also helps these allies to assert themselves against a common enemy with as few losses as possible in the event of a conflict. This also serves the secondary purpose of creating confidence in German weapons and German armed forces, so that the common fight continues even in adverse times.

Ultimately, the German defence industry serves a political purpose. It allows friends to be found, friends to be rewarded and the development of peace to be promoted by making friendly countries ready to defend themselves. This allows the German government to help friends and make life more difficult for enemies according to the principle of reward.

How important is the German defence industry?

The German defence industry is a world leader. When the question arises as to who makes the best tank, the German Leopard is always named. The same can be repeated for many other weapon systems. It is the German weapons that can also be found in the hands of the victors in computer games and films. This means that the German defence industry benefits from a considerable head start when it comes to reputation. It inspires confidence, so that, for example, the already named Leopard tank can be found in the ranks of armies from Singapore to Canada.

Well-known names among the German companies are Rheinmetall, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The range of products extends from anti-aircraft missiles and submarines to tanks and machine guns. The industry is very export-orientated, as this is the only way to achieve the quantities required for economies of scale.

What about the peace dividend today?

This is all the more true when the peace dividend comes into play. To illustrate this, at the end of the Cold War, the operational strength of the armed forces of the FRG totalled 458,700 soldiers. That is almost half a million. They were divided into 12 divisions with a total of 6 armoured divisions and 5 armoured infantry divisions as well as 1 airborne division as large formations. In addition, there were 170,000 soldiers in the GDR with a total of 6 large formations, 2 armoured and 4 motorised rifle divisions.

Where is the defence industry heading?

The defence industry in Germany is experiencing a clear upward trend. This is no coincidence. The idea of the peace dividend is also based on the fact that the threat from the Cold War had disappeared. New threats and the resurgence of old threats do not happen overnight. Industry must be geared towards armaments. Soldiers have to be trained and large units have to be set up and trained to work together. All of this takes time and can hardly be concealed.

So the idea behind it is simple. As long as the threat was low, savings could be made. As soon as a threat becomes apparent, everything can be switched back to more armaments and more military. This is exactly what happened with the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine. The new threat became very clear and now politicians are reacting by demanding more and more weapons and material for the troops. This means that the defence industry is now being ramped up again.

This ramping up of the defence industry can be seen not only in the orders, but also in the fact that the well-known defence companies are taking over other factories and creating new production facilities. This gives them the capacity to deliver the required quantities of weapons and materials promptly or at least within acceptable time frames.

In which areas does investment in the defence industry flow?

This goes hand in hand with the spare parts and equipment, there is also greater investment in new weapons and systems. This is reflected in the new types of weapons that are now being procured. Examples of this include the Leopard 2A8 and the air defence system Skyranger, and the Caracal as a new mobile transport system for the paratroopers.

This means much more for the industry. There is a constant rise in investment, more and more orders, increasing sales and a sharp rise in exports. The demand for more equipment is rising sharply not only in Germany, but throughout the world and especially in Europe.

In other words, it is a time of record sales. Orders are pouring in, reaching every sector of the defence industry, from the manufacture of ammunition and equipment to complete systems. NATO and EU member states have all increased their military budgets across the board and are demanding high quality products. Thanks to the competitive edge in reputation that the German defence industry in particular enjoys, orders are often placed with German companies.

What role does the defence industry play in the labour market?

This makes the defence industry a real job engine. While much has already been achieved, we are still at the beginning. In theory, many systems are already in service with the troops, but the reality is different. These systems are part of projects that will extend over the coming years and decades. This will keep the industry busy for a long time and it will have to work at full speed to meet demand. For the aforementioned Caracal alone, more than 3,000 units are planned to be delivered to the German and Dutch military over the next 10 years.

The upward trend in armaments is associated with its own challenges. It starts with the fact that the troops must clearly formulate their requirements. These needs must then be met with suitable systems, which are then supplied in sufficient numbers and with sufficient capabilities. This means that the soldiers not only have to get their hands on the weapons. They must also learn how to use them effectively, both directly and in conjunction with other systems. In addition, the systems themselves must mature. They are often delivered with a capability standard below the requirements, only to receive the capabilities that were originally required in future instalments and combat value upgrades.

There are also challenges in establishing a sustainable supply chain. This must not only supply the systems and spare parts today, as well as upgrade kits if required. It must also ensure that the equipment is always ready for use over the coming decades.

How does the labour shortage in the defence industry manifest itself?

The sharp rise in demand for military hardware makes it necessary to increase production capacity dramatically. However, this also requires production staff to be found to carry out the various tasks. The range of employees required extends from production assistants to engineers and specialists for production and development as a whole.

With the easing of the debt brake, the increased defence budget and the special assets of the Bundeswehr, more and more contracts are being awarded to industry. Studies have shown that the increase in defence tasks to two percent of GDP alone will create an additional demand for skilled workers, amounting to around 160,000 employees. However, this is not the whole picture. With the increase in domestic orders comes more and more orders from other countries, meaning that the shortfall in labour is even higher.

Software engineers, engineers, production and development specialists, mechanical engineers and operating technicians are all being sought with vigour in order to process the rush of orders. However, even this is still not the full extent of the demand. An increase in orders and their processing is also associated with rising demand in other areas of the economy. More raw materials, machines and semi-finished products are needed. This increases the demand for labour across the board.

This is where another rule of economics comes into play. This is that supply and demand determine the price. With an increasing demand for labour, which is difficult to meet, salaries also rise. Employees can easily earn 68,000 euros a year. For managerial positions, salaries are often even in six figures.

How are production workers deployed in the defence industry?

Before the armaments boom, there were 60,000 people directly employed there. The total number of employees was even higher if suppliers were included. This brought the total number to 150,000, but there were a further 270,000 employees indirectly linked to the defence industry. These are already great figures in themselves, but the demand today is far higher.

• In particular, the demand for software engineers has increased significantly. Many systems today are related to computers. Accordingly, programmes have to be written and adapted.
• In addition, there is an increasing demand for employees from the construction sector, from research and development, project management and the wider field of information technology.
• In the Production the employees take on many tasks. These include the development and production of weapons. They also maintain them and service the machines and production systems in the companies. In addition, the employees are also entrusted with the distribution of the systems.

What tasks do the production employees take on as part of development?

As part of the development process, production employees must help to define the requirements for the systems. Then the systems themselves have to be designed and implemented in reality. This includes mechanical and electronic parts, but also chemical components.

For example, artillery shells alone have a casing that has to withstand the load of the shot and the impact on the target. Added to this is the load, i.e. the explosive contained in the shell. This must be able to disintegrate the shell casing and disperse it as fragments and also achieve a sufficient pressure effect. In addition, there must be a fuse that can be adjusted. It ignites the grenade in the air, on impact or after penetrating the cover. This means that the fuse must be able to determine that the grenade is at the height above the ground set for air detonation. Alternatively, it must determine that the grenade has hit the target and now cause the explosion. In the third setting, he must recognise the penetration of the cover by determining that the grenade is in a cavity after hitting the target. This alone shows how complex seemingly simple military systems have become. At the same time, these complex systems also need to be cost-effective, which makes the challenge even greater.

What areas of work are involved in the production of defence equipment?

In production, the individual components are then manufactured and connected to form complete systems. In the example of the grenade, the casing is manufactured and the explosives are produced, which are then inserted into the casing. This is then closed and prepared to hold the detonator. However, the detonator itself is not inserted, but supplied separately and adjusted and connected to the grenade by the soldiers themselves on site.

Of course, in the field of armour there is also the well-known Quality assurance. This must ensure, for example, that the built-in armour can withstand a hit or that the grenade explodes as required and produces the specified amount of fragments with the required area effect.

The employees are also responsible for the maintenance and repair of production systems . However, they are also needed to repair and maintain military systems. This can be done in the factory or on site in the military unit. It is a little-known fact that company employees often accompany soldiers on deployment. For example, when the battleship Prince of Wales met the German battleship Bismarck during the Second World War, she had shipyard employees on board alongside her military crew to make the turrets and weapons ready for use. What was the exception back then is happening more and more frequently today, as the systems have become so complex that the soldiers on site cannot deal with all the faults on their own.

Do production employees also work in marketing and sales?

Of course, the production employees are also involved in sales and marketing. This means that they are responsible for demonstrating the weapons and systems to future buyers. For example, they provide the crew for a battle tank as part of a sales demonstration. They are also tasked with producing marketing material such as brochures, images and videos. To this end, they show animations and the systems in direct use as part of demonstrations and exercises, sometimes even recreating real conditions that can be found on the battlefield.

The production staff are also busy not only developing new systems, but also constantly improving existing weapons and equipment. This sometimes leads to very interesting fields of activity. One example of this is the Ghost system. Today, thermal imaging sensors are becoming increasingly important on the battlefield. These can penetrate fog, the night and even vegetation and recognise a threat. With the Ghost System, however, the CV90120-T has been enabled to customise its own thermal signature so that it disappears against the background. In other words, it became invisible to thermal sensors. Working on these and similar projects is not only a challenge, it also brings progress close to the employees. This makes tasks within these projects particularly motivating.

The production employees are also involved in logistics. They ensure that the supply of components and raw materials for production works. They also ensure the supply of components and spare parts for the troops.

What special requirements do production workers in the defence industry face?

Working in the defence industry is associated with special requirements. These are evident in technical, qualitative and social terms. The systems that the employees produce are extremely complex. It is not simply a matter of achieving an effect. An enemy effect must be prevented and the enemy's defence against its own effect must be broken through in order to achieve the desired goal. In other words, a tank shell must be able to disable an enemy tank, while your own armour must be able to withstand the enemy tank shell. This means that there is a constant race between the desired effect and the antidote.

The qualitative challenge is evident in many respects. High-performance systems have to overcome enemy defences, stop enemy agents or at least limit their effect, and all at low cost. This means that anyone who makes a mistake here is ultimately responsible for people dying. This happens because enemy weapons penetrate the defences or because their own weapons are unable to overcome the enemy's defences, allowing the enemy to continue to act.

What are the requirements for the Pluto project?

From a social point of view, various requirements need to be taken into account. The aim is to achieve a great impact, but the impact must also be limited. An unlimited effect, such as Project Pluto, for example, would overshoot the mark by far. Project Pluto was about a cruise missile powered by an open nuclear reactor. This can fly faster than most other systems. It also had an almost unlimited range. The unlimited effect resulted from the fact that this cruise missile would eject clouds of radioactive material on its flight path while delivering nuclear warheads to their targets. With the warheads it would wipe out cities and with its propulsion it would turn whole areas of land into wastelands, effectively a Chernobyl wherever it crossed land.

A far less dramatic example would be cluster munitions. In this case, a carrier system ejects submunitions. The carrier can be a grenade, a missile or a bomb. The submunition consists of small warheads that are distributed over a large area. They literally destroy entire formations of tanks or infantry. This is clearly very effective. As a by-product, however, they also leave behind a lot of unexploded ordnance, which then poses a danger to their own troops and civilians. In other words, they render entire areas unusable. Here, therefore, a balance must be struck between the desired effect and how much is really necessary and which effect is better dispensed with.

What special requirements are there for employees in the defence industry?

These special features of the defence industry in technical, qualitative, and social aspects result in special requirements for employees. They work with systems that are often more complex than those found in civilian operations. They must therefore have a high level of technical knowledge. They must also act responsibly in order to achieve the necessary quality and at the same time avoid an excessive effect.

The work is therefore also subject to strict regulations. These serve to ensure the safety of employees, the safety of future users of the systems, compliance with quality standards and adherence to confidentiality requirements. In the end, even the best systems are useless if the enemy knows all the details and can simply neutralise them.

• For the employees, this means that they have to proceed with accuracy and care . They must be aware of their responsibilities and must maintain confidentiality about the systems and processes in the production facilities.
• In addition, it is often necessary for production employees to have sufficient language skills . They must be able to understand requirement profiles and operating instructions in English, for example. They must also have sufficient intercultural competence to be able to show a healthy degree of hospitality to buyers from other countries, for example.

What ethical aspects are there from the population?

There are also ethical aspects from the population. Not everyone is in favour of rearmament. Those who oppose it see themselves supported by various areas of politics. These include the fact that the arms industry is subject to the War Weapons Control Act and that the entire policy of the past was geared more towards peace than war.

For individual employees, this means that they may have to expect rejection or critical questions in their social environment. It is therefore often advisable for the employees concerned to be familiar with politics in Germany and global political reality and to be able to answer such questions.

This also increases the challenge that companies in the defence industry are facing. Not only do they have to find labour, but above all they need workers who are willing to work in this field of industry.

Conclusion

There is also a high demand for production workers in the defence industry and in this industry in particular. However, you must be prepared for some special features in this area. This begins with the fact that there are particularly high requirements here. Legal requirements, complex systems and ethical issues have to be mastered.

In contrast, the defence industry itself is experiencing a strong upswing, which is in line with the current situation in international politics. This means that weapons and weapon systems are increasingly in demand, so that the industry can look forward to full order books. These include orders from Germany and abroad. Accordingly, in addition to their knowledge of production, production employees must also have language skills and cultural competence.