Advertorial Article from the Handelsblatt Journal Security and Defense
The war in Ukraine has made it unequivocally clear to Europe that military superiority is no longer determined by size or complexity, but by speed and scale. Right from the start of the war, it became evident how civilian drones could be transformed into highly effective precision weapons within weeks. Four years later, they remain so because the Ukrainians adapt them to real-world operational conditions in short cycles. What matters is no longer the supposedly most advanced system, but the one whose innovation cycles close faster than those of the enemy. This reality is also forcing Germany to adopt a new approach to procurement.
Develop together, learn faster
Germany needs a genuine cultural shift that brings industry and the armed forces into a joint, iterative development process. New systems must no longer be developed in an industrial vacuum, but rather aligned with the operational experience of the armed forces from the outset. Only when feedback from the operational theater becomes part of the development process will products be created that meet today's requirements from day one. Experimental series and new innovation formats within the armed forces demonstrate that this collaboration is possible. Now, the challenge is to permanently embed this agility in procurement.
The better is the enemy of the usable
Rapid, iterative procurement demands a new pragmatism. In a world where threats change faster than traditional procurement processes, the pursuit of the perfect solution becomes a risk in itself. Every year of delay creates operational gaps and weakens deterrence. Europe therefore needs a clear guideline: systems must be deployed as soon as they reliably fulfill their core function. Everything beyond that follows, via software updates and modular improvements during operation. Prioritizing perfection over availability ultimately means disarmament. Anyone who is serious about defense capability must make speed the central procurement principle.
