Ready for War in Nuremberg

The attackers are well hidden. The three men have barricaded themselves behind several doors in the container village wearing functional jackets and balaclavas. Outside, a task force sneaks up on them - a team in full combat gear, assault rifles at the ready. Suddenly the uniformed men break through the door. They attack.

A stun grenade flashes, shots are fired. The terrorists are quickly overpowered, and several people are injured. But no real blood is shed; the maneuver is just a demonstration. It is Tuesday of last week, day two of Enforce Tac, the trade fair for internal and external security. Every year in February, the defense and security industry meets here in Nuremberg. The latest technology is presented in simulations, such as the fight against domestic terrorists in the container village.

Manufacturers from all over the world advertise their products here, often with photos of special forces, night vision devices and action sequences in video clips. Advertisement From thermal undershirts for mountain combat to mobile toilets in camouflage and the latest assault rifles to a drone defense vehicle the size of a coach, everything can be found at the trade fair. Only trade visitors are invited: members of the armed forces, security authorities and arms companies. Normal visitors are not permitted. weekly newspaper This text comes from the wochentaz .

Our weekly newspaper from the left! Every week the wochentaz is about the world as it is – and how it could be. A left-wing weekly newspaper with a voice, attitude and the special taz view of the world. New every Saturday at the kiosk and of course by subscription . Since the turn of the century, the fair has grown In the Nuremberg exhibition halls, you can feel how times are changing. The Russian attack on Ukraine will be three years old when Enforce Tac starts last Monday. Since the "turning point", the trade fair has grown continuously. More visitors, more halls, now over 1,000 exhibitors are presenting themselves.

Enforce Tac has never been as big as this year, the organizers are already cheering before the start. Companies have traveled from 47 countries, mainly from NATO nations, but also from China, which is obviously not a problem here. Russian companies are of course missing, but eight companies from Ukraine are there. While the industry is meeting in Nuremberg, Great Britain announces that it will increase its defense spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product. Rheinmetall announces that it wants to convert two of its factories in Germany to arms production. In Berlin, future Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is aiming for a coalition with the SPD , whose major task will be to reorganize Germany's defense. A new special fund for the Bundeswehr amounting to 200 billion euros is on the table, and the reintroduction of conscription is also being discussed. Europe is gearing up. These are great times for the industry. Golden times. In the simulation in the container village, the emergency services spy on the situation with a mini drone before storming the building.

They treat the injured teammate and evacuate him with the help of an autonomous transport vehicle. The demonstration shows where the journey is headed. Many pieces of equipment now contain high-tech digital technology. Advertisement This year, the Bundeswehr is taking part for the first time. In addition to military police and medical services, it is presenting a vehicle from the information technology battalion. Recruiters from the arms industry are queuing up at its stand. A poster display indicates that the Bundeswehr is also interested in recruiting personnel. There is a shortage of 20,000 soldiers in Germany.

The Bundeswehr is taking part for the first time However, the Enforce Tac is not filled with potential new recruits, but rather with experienced and well-trained fighters who might be persuaded to sign up again. The aisles in the exhibition halls are full, crowds are pushing from stand to stand. There are more dogs accompanying them than women among the visitors. Men with long beards and thick, tattooed upper arms examine assault rifles and show off the latest rifle scopes, helmets and combat boots.

When a man in a beige military shirt walked through the rows on Monday, many people turned to look at him. He was wearing shorts and showing off his two prosthetic legs. He was obviously a veteran. His fate could be a deterrent, a warning. Respect was evident in the faces of those standing around. The stand of Diehl Defence, the arms company from Nuremberg, is very busy. Artillery shells are on display, as are dummy hand grenades, cartridges for grenade launchers and the latest highlight: the Cicada. "It looks like a cicada, sounds like a cicada," says an employee proudly, adding: "It buzzes so quietly."

The Cicada is the latest development from Diehl - an electrically powered missile that intercepts other drones. It can be equipped with warheads for the military, but in a civilian version it can also be equipped with a safety net to protect critical infrastructure from drones. Drone defense a major topic at the trade fair Drone defense is one of the big topics at the trade fair. Germany is lagging behind, say many exhibitors. Recently, unknown drones have repeatedly appeared over critical infrastructure in Germany: over Bundeswehr barracks and corporate premises . Espionage? Sabotage? This is difficult to assess, because so far neither the German army nor network operators have been able to defend themselves against such mysterious overflights. They are prohibited from taking the drones down from the sky. In January, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) introduced a change to the law that would allow the German army to shoot down drones in an emergency . The cabinet approved the proposal, then came the elections, and the law is stuck. Politicians urgently need to get involved, says the Diehl Defence employee. Of course: when the law comes into force, the company will already have the right product in the form of the Cicada.

The change of times, says the man, is now also being felt in industry. Ramping up production capacity is not easy, but they are working on it. The question of how Europe can quickly produce a lot of ammunition is another major theme at the trade fair. CDU member Merz declared on election night that he wanted to achieve greater independence from the USA. On the first day of the fair, the UN Security Council voted for a pro-Russian resolution from the Trump-led US government. It was only two weeks ago that American Vice President J. D. Vance shook the transatlantic defense alliance to its foundations with his speech at the Munich Security Conference. Since then, Europe has been in a frenzy. The new independence is also to apply to the development and production of military equipment.

Does NATO have a future? Apparently unimpressed by such political tremors, Benjamin Hormann takes to the trade fair stage on Tuesday. Hormann is a lieutenant colonel in the US Army and has been stationed in Frankfurt am Main for a year at the "Army Futures Command" for Northern Europe, a department that strives for innovations in armaments development. He is also here as a "partner," says Hormann right at the beginning, before appealing to industry representatives for cooperation and technology exchange. The transatlantic friction does not seem to be a big issue for the audience either:

The USA remains the country with by far the largest armaments budget. In an interview with the taz newspaper, he explains that the battlefield of the future no longer only includes soldiers in the trenches. He prefers not to comment on politics. In any case, no one has yet ordered him to withdraw from the search for strategic partnerships in Europe, he says, smiling. Does NATO have a future? "Of course." There is a consensus in Nuremberg these days that the growth of the arms industry is right. At least in the exhibition halls.

Outside, not everyone feels the same way. On the first day of the fair, a group of around 50 activists demonstrated against Enforce Tac, its exhibitors and visitors. One man waves a blue flag of the German Peace Society - United War Resisters (DFG-VK), otherwise Palestine flags and banners about the Middle East conflict dominate. “Blood on your hands!” “Diehl produces, Israel bombs” is written on a banner. Most of the demonstrators here are probably not real pacifists either: One of the groups calling for the protest, called “Intifada Nuremberg”, explicitly declares its solidarity with the “armed resistance” of the Palestinians.

As visitors leave the exhibition grounds on Monday evening, they walk past the demonstrators, who shout in their faces: "Blood, blood, blood on your hands" and "Rheinmetall and Diehl Defence, where a lot of blood flows, a lot of money flows." Some trade fair guests pulled out their cell phones to take a quick snapshot. A group of men started a chant for 1. FC Köln. But the demonstrators drowned them out. At least for a few minutes.