🤞 Me in The Arsenal, and some context: "...it’s not going to be conventional systems and unmanned systems,” Lange said. “It’s going to be unmanned systems first.”

"“For now, it looks a lot like they're going to buy drones and hope that they can call it a day, and I’m not sure that’s sufficient,” said Lange."

"Germany needs the pressure of a competitive market in defense tech, he said."

Buying drones is not the solution. Buying supersized GLCMs from Ukraine that we can't integrate or operate isn't, either, no matter how cool the paint-job is.

So far, we've seen EERILY LITTLE clear market signaling and industry-building in Germany, and so far, most market niches are still bottlenecked to failure. Omitting this from public communication does not strengthen security.

How many unmanned systems providers are selling significant numbers to the German government in year five of the War? Exactly. Ten times too few.

Scaled, distributed testing capabilities, easily 10x more sqkm than we have now (yes, this is possible!), easy access for established COMMERCIAL SMEs (24h checks and online bookings), startups, as well as established DEFENSE SMEs and primes.

Testing capabilities that combine operator-driven testing and iteration with training, for weeks on end, not days, with pre-procurement brownie point collection, in a standardized, transparent, accessible process.

Testing ground operators which are held accountable with SMART goals, independently audited by non-biased third parties. And replaced if they don't deliver.

And the replacement of juries with performance KPIs; no more favoritism! Performance is always evidence-based and can be measured. Turns out, that's also the fastest way to get to a decision.

We don't have the luxury of affording a single one of our bottlenecks for any longer.

We need Capability Factories.

What Ukraine did, but the peacetime version. The next best thing. It needs to happen NOW. Activate public-private partnerships. Think this is impossible? I am personally in touch with facilities outside of Germany which went from intent to operation within three months.

OF COURSE we can do this, at cost, at pace!

What I describe in brevity here, and at length in one of my last articles, would allow us to turn the tide on capability building in unmanned systems and get us back on track.

No less than what I describe here will do.

"An" EU country will get this right first (second after Ukraine). I have a shortlist of two which are looking to achieve this important rearmament milestone first.

Germany is, so far, not among them, but I would very much like it to be.

My two cents.

💪

Thanks for the good conversation Nicholas Wallace and thanks for pushing this topic Tim Mak. Keep it up!