BERLIN: The CEO of German automaking giant Mercedes-Benz has said he has not ruled out entering the defense industry.
“The world has become more unpredictable, and I think it is quite clear that Europe needs to strengthen its defense capabilities,” CEO Ola Kaellenius said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Friday.
“If we are able to play a positive role in this area, we would be ready to do so,” said Kaellenius, a German-Swedish national.
His remarks come amid Germany beefing up its military capacity in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The German defense industry has locked onto that trend, as illustrated by the rise of arms maker Rheinmetall in recent years, with the group recently pushing into the naval and dronemaking spheres.
