Volkswagen Ready to Build German Military Equipment

The German automobile company Volkswagen said yesterday it is willing to consider building equipment for the German military as part of Europe’s efforts to rearm.

The company has not yet received proposals from potential partners, but ceo Oliver Blume said:

My take on it is, if there was the option of military vehicles going forward, we would have to look at the concepts. … We did that in the past. Volkswagen Group has automotive competence.

According to economists, automotive factories can spare the capacity for defense because Germany’s car exports have halved since before the pandemic.

Era of rearmament: Blume’s comment came after Germany announced last week it would amend its constitution to remove spending limits on defense, essentially allowing it to rack up an unlimited amount of debt to fund its military. The European Union also announced an €800 billion (us$868 billion) boost to defense.

[G]iven the current geopolitical situation, what we are seeing now in Germany and Europe are absolutely the right decisions, in the sense that we need to invest more to be safe again.
—Oliver Blume

Echoes of World War ii: In 1933, Adolf Hitler called on the German automotive industry to produce an affordable, lightweight “people’s car,” or volkswagen. Four years later, the Nazi government founded Volkswagen. The start of World War ii in 1939 prevented mass production of the car, so the company shifted to manufacturing military vehicles and armaments.

Almost 90 years later, Volkswagen seems to be returning to the war track.

Fueling the war machine: After Germany’s defeat in World War ii in 1945, late educator and religious leader Herbert W. Armstrong warned that the country would use its cutting-edge, world-class industry to remilitarize and prepare for round three. History and recent events have proved this forecast was accurate.

To learn more, read “Stoking the Furnace of the War Machine” in our free booklet He Was Right.