Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) has confirmed that the state of Brandenburg is trying to get the Rheinmetall armaments company to settle there. The equipment of the Air Force with jets from the manufacturer Lockheed Martin is possible thanks to the 100 billion euro package from the federal government, Woidke told the “Märkische Allgemeine” (Saturday / online). Because Germany invests so much money, he thinks it is necessary “that we in Germany and Brandenburg benefit as much as possible from it”. Manufacturing would bring high-tech jobs to the state if Brandenburg were awarded the contract. “I would be a bad prime minister if I didn’t try.”
However, Woidke did not comment on the status of the negotiations. The ARD broadcasters RBB and MDR reported on Thursday that Brandenburg had tried to find a Rheinmetall production site and had been shortlisted. Other states such as Lower Saxony have also shown interest in Rheinmetall settling there.
According to Prime Minister Woidke, advertising was an essential part of his visit to the USA with Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) in autumn 2022. “The talks obviously went well,” said Woidke. However, he is not directly involved in the settlement negotiations and therefore cannot say anything about the status of the talks. The Ministry of Economics had announced that it generally did not comment on possible settlements.
Warning against dealings “with death”
Woidke rejected the criticism of left-wing faction leader Sebastian Walter, who had warned against doing business “with death”. “Our soldiers must be given the best equipment, the best material.”
Rheinmetall has entered into a cooperation with the US companies Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman in connection with F-35 fighter jets. This involves the production of center fuselage sections. The federal government wants to buy US F-35 fighter jets because the Tornado fleet is getting old.
