Germany taps Rheinmetall to handle some wartime logistics

BERLIN — Germany’s Rheinmetall will provide logistics support for military movements within and across the country under a major new contract, the company announced.

The deal comes as part of a wider German effort to remake the Bundeswehr into a more combat-ready force and efforts to prepare German society for future crises, including an armed defense of the country.

The contract, estimated to be worth around €260 million ($271 million) over the course of the next three years, was announced by the German arms maker on Feb. 19. It entails providing and running housing, catering, waste disposal, energy supply and refueling, among other tasks. According to the government tender outlining the contract’s scope, the tasks surrounding the creation and running of such convoy support centers are being fulfilled by Rheinmetall Project Solutions as the “full-service partner” since Jan. 1.

The agreement will run for three years, with the possibility of two one-year extensions until the end of 2029. Notably, the contract stipulated that the tasks delegated to Rheinmetall’s logistics branch would still be the company’s responsibility even in times of war or if a mutual assistance clause – NATO’s Article 5 – were triggered. It will also apply not just to the provision of services for German units but also allied troops transiting Germany, including NATO, United Nations, EU or Partnership for Peace forces.

“Due to its central location in Europe, Germany is both a transit nation and a logistical hub in terms of collective defense,” Rheinmetall said in a statement. “Within NATO and the EU, the country therefore plays a central role in the deployment of forces.”

Germany has also played a role as a logistics hub for supplies making their way to Ukraine, especially by land.

Rheinmetall, perhaps best known for making tanks, trucks, artillery and other military gear, has seen its share price rise tenfold since Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022.

In July 2024, the Düsseldorf-based company received a Bundeswehr contract to deliver up to 6,500 trucks, worth up to €3.5 billion ($3.65 billion).

The logistics deal marks an expansion of private sector involvement in Germany’s military logistics. It is the first industry partnership under Germany’s classified “ Operations Plan Germany ,” a restructuring of the country’s armed forces to make them more resilient and effective.

The Operations Plan is a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with a public brochure about the plan stating: “One thing is for certain: Germany and its population must become more … prepared to face threats and aggressors.”

Linus Höller is Defense News' Europe correspondent and OSINT investigator. He reports on the arms deals, sanctions, and geopolitics shaping Europe and the world. He holds master’s degrees in WMD nonproliferation, terrorism studies, and international relations, and works in four languages: English, German, Russian, and Spanish.

柏林——德国莱茵金属公司宣布，根据一项新的重大合同，该公司将为德国境内及跨国家的军事行动提供后勤支持。

这项协议是德国为使联邦国防军成为一支更具战斗力的部队，以及为德国社会应对未来危机（包括武装保卫国家）而做出的更广泛努力的一部分。

德国军火制造商莱茵金属公司于2月19日宣布，将在未来三年内签署一份价值约2.6亿欧元（2.71亿美元）的合同。合同内容包括提供和运营住房、餐饮、垃圾处理、能源供应和加油等服务。根据政府发布的招标文件，自1月1日起，莱茵金属项目解决方案公司作为“全方位服务合作伙伴”，负责创建和运营此类车队支援中心。根据政府招标文件，这些支援中心的创建和运营工作由莱茵金属项目解决方案公司作为“全方位服务合作伙伴”负责。

该协议有效期为三年，并可续签两次，每次一年，直至2029年底。值得注意的是，合同规定，即使在战时或触发北约第五条款（即互助条款）的情况下，莱茵金属公司后勤部门仍将承担其所承担的任务。此外，该协议不仅适用于为德国部队提供服务，也适用于途经德国的盟军部队，包括北约、联合国、欧盟或和平伙伴关系计划的部队。

莱茵金属公司在一份声明中表示：“由于德国地处欧洲中心，它在集体防御方面既是过境国，也是后勤枢纽。因此，在北约和欧盟内部，德国在部队部署方面发挥着核心作用。”

德国也发挥了物流枢纽的作用，为运往乌克兰的物资提供运输服务，特别是通过陆路运输。

莱茵金属公司以生产坦克、卡车、火炮和其他军事装备而闻名，自 2022 年俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰以来，其股价已经上涨了十倍。

2024 年 7 月，这家总部位于杜塞尔多夫的公司获得德国联邦国防军的一份合同，将交付多达 6,500 辆卡车，价值高达 35 亿欧元（36.5 亿美元）。

这项物流协议标志着私营部门在德国军事后勤领域的参与度进一步提高。这是德国机密“德国作战计划”下的首个产业合作项目，该计划旨在重组德国武装部队，使其更具韧性和效能。

该行动计划是对俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的回应，一份关于该计划的公开手册中写道：“有一件事是肯定的：德国及其人民必须更加……做好准备，以应对威胁和侵略者。”

林努斯·霍勒是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者和开源情报调查员。他报道影响欧洲乃至全球的军火交易、制裁和地缘政治。他拥有大规模杀伤性武器不扩散、恐怖主义研究和国际关系三个硕士学位，并精通英语、德语、俄语和西班牙语四种语言。