Alongside the terrible price in human suffering and death, the two world wars spurred aviation, and with Germany’s V2 rocket, started the space age. Hopefully, this time around, we can get some of the technological benefits while keeping the war to a stand-off with no fighting.
Much of this money will be spent in Europe. Germany is passing a law to restrict bidders for new projects to EU-based, and the EU may soon move to ban much of American AI.
Historically, small to medium-sized firms have been the backbone of European industry, and Germany has excelled under this model. Will it be the same for whatever new tech comes out of these developments?
Spy cockroaches and AI robots: Germany plots the future of warfare
All EU countries are doing a similar thing, and there’s very little industry in the EU. So I expect a small number of people to make a lot of money, for a small number of (weapon) systems delivered.
To be successfull in their goal of self-reliance in defense, the EU would need te reverse 30 to 40 years of de-industrialization. I don’t see that happening any time soon, as most of the EU is a demographic mess, full of NIMBY-ers, and there are very little STEM and manufacturing experts.
As they said in the wire: we’re past the point of making stuff, we just try to reach into the next guys’ pocket.
there’s very little industry in the EU
The EU’s Total Manufacturing Output & Global Share of Manufacturing is bigger than the US’s.
Yes, both have been offshoring a long time now! It’s part of why “America first” was a successful slogan for the current administration, and it was a major aim of the “inflation reduction act” by the biden administration as well.
There is only a limited amount of engineers available. The money will thus rise their wages and thus will cripple every other industry.
Since the money is spent by lobbyists, it will be used to create weapons that sound good and could win the last wars but not future wars.
Germany thus will increase inflation, lose market shares for their existing products and once again, will confidently start the next world war, this time to defend democracy. Then they will be once again surprised by logistics and the innovation of the rest of the world.
There is only a limited amount of engineers available.
U.S. universities award roughly 150,000 to 200,000 bachelor’s degrees in engineering each year, whereas the EU produces 500,000 engineering graduates per year.
Europe’s problem is getting enough jobs for them all.
Europe’s problem is getting enough jobs for them all.
Where did you hear that? My experience is that there’s jobs a plenty.
It would have been more accurate to say well-paying jobs for all of them.
