Ukraine war sparks shift as young Germans warm to careers in defence industry

In a notable shift for a country long defined by post-war pacifism, a growing number of young Germans are rethinking careers in the defence sector, driven by the ongoing war in Ukraine and broader global instability.German arms manufacturers, traditionally absent from public recruitment events, participated for the first time in a job fair at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), a sign of changing tides. Students like 25-year-old Mika Scheid, an engineering student at KIT, are leading the shift.The Russian invasion of Ukraine was a “personal turning point,” said Scheid, who joined the armed forces as a reservist and now hopes to work in military equipment manufacturing. “People are beginning to understand that the Bundeswehr (the German armed forces) is now clearly focused on defending the country and Nato,” he said.Despite student protests prompting Rheinmetall to pull out of the fair, interest in the arms industry appears to be growing. Uncertainty about US security guarantees in Europe and economic stagnation are also pushing young professionals to consider the defence sector, once viewed with suspicion.“The political discourse we have had since 2022 has led Germans to change their way of seeing things,” said Eva Brueckner of Heinrich and Coll, a headhunting firm that recruits for the defence industry. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago, ethical hesitations about the field have declined, she said.Companies are offering perks to lure fresh talent from relocation aid to gym memberships. Diehl, a major arms producer, is even offering scholarships to students, hoping to recruit them long-term.Nico Haenelt, a 19-year-old mechatronics student, attended the fair looking for an internship with Thyssenkrupp’s submarine division. While his parents held pacifist views, he admitted, “If the world were more peaceful, I would probably also look in other areas.”The European defence industry employs around 600,000 people and is projected to expand, especially under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has pledged to increase military spending. In the wake of job losses in other sectors, companies like Rheinmetall which recently absorbed workers from struggling auto supplier Continental and are becoming stabilisers for the broader economy.Still, attracting talent isn’t easy. “The sector is very conservative, and people who don't come from this background may have difficulty integrating,” said Brueckner.For some students, the stigma remains. Niklas, a computer science student, said he was looking for a job with “meaning,” ideally in health or sustainability. The arms industry? “Never,” he said.