From trains to tanks: Germany’s rearmament marks industrial shift

For three generations, the Liebig family has built double-decker railcars in Görlitz, Germany, but the factory will soon produce components for military vehicles after defense contractor KNDS took over from Alstom, which shut down operations to cut costs. While KNDS plans to retain about 350 employees, Carsten Liebig, a retired train maker, laments the shift towards arms production amid Germany’s deindustrialization, as the country experiences a surge in defense spending and a shift in skilled labor from declining automotive jobs to the arms industry. This transition reflects a broader trend in Germany, where defense contractors are expanding operations and hiring amid a backdrop of significant job losses in manufacturing.

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