The attempted assassination of Armin Papperger, apparently planned by Russia, is making headlines today. Who is the man who heads Germany’s largest arms company Rheinmetall? And what drives him?
Armin Papperger has been CEO of Rheinmetall AG, Germany’s leading arms company, since 2013. The now 61-year-old studied mechanical engineering at the University of Duisburg.
The CEO started his career in the company in 1990 and was initially the managing director of various subsidiaries. In 2012 he finally became a member of the board, which he has led for more than eleven years.
“Defend democracy”
Russia’s attack on Ukraine suddenly thrust the defense industry, the Rheinmetall company and, of course, CEO Papperger into the public eye. Although in the past the arms industry was often criticized as a questionable industry, this image has now changed for many people.
The manager speaks confidently about his work and his industry. Papperger said in an interview that he has been with the company for almost 35 years tagesschau.de in February this year. “I was sure from the first day that I was doing the right thing, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it. I am doing the right thing because I am sure that we are NATO, we are Germany, Europe, but in the end west too.ours Defend the democracy.
He was always convinced that it was necessary to invest in these areas, “because ultimately we are protecting our society,” said the CEO.
A billion orders for Rheinmetall
Because of Russia’s war of aggression, huge investments are being made in the defense industry. Rheinmetall also benefits from the billion dollar orders. “Rheinmetall received orders worth ten billion euros from the Federal Republic of Germany last year,” Papperger told the “Tagesspiegel” at the beginning of 2024. “We expect a volume of around 15 billion euros or more. ” Ammunition will make up “about 20 percent of our group sales this year.”
His company has invested 5.6 billion in the last two years, Papperger told the ntv news channel. “We invested a lot of money, we are entrepreneurs, we took risks.” The CEO talks about joining forces with politicians, who want sustainability above all else. He also calls for the Europeanization of armaments efforts.
Partnership, not dependency
To manage the investments, large companies are needed, as Papperger said on another occasion. Rheinmetall should be one of them: The CEO wants to double sales to 20 billion euros in seven to eight years. In order to play in international business and be able to compete with US defense companies, size is needed.
He does not see that the states could depend on the growing arms companies: “The American government does not depend on Lockheed or Boeing,” he told ntv. It is not a dependency, but a partnership.
Papperger also argues with Germany’s historical obligation. This may mean that issues of war and peace are dealt with more sensitively than elsewhere. But Germany probably didn’t do enough to be able to defend democracy. “It is now time for us to step on the gas in Germany.”