When you run Europe's largest artillery manufacturer during a continent-wide war, personal safety stops being a given. Armin Papperger, CEO of the German arms giant Rheinmetall, lives under round-the-clock security. Intelligence agencies have previously foiled assassination plots against him, and hostile foreign actors routinely target his company with cyber campaigns and sabotage.
Yet, his message remains blunt. There will be no backing down. For a different look, read: this related article.
"These jobs must be done and anyone that can't take the pressure doesn't belong in this job," Papperger made clear, dismissing the idea of yielding to intimidation. It is a stark posture that defines the modern European defense sector, where executives of heavy manufacturing firms have transitioned from corporate boardrooms straight into the crosshairs of hybrid warfare.
The High Cost of Rearming Europe
For decades, European defense contractors operated quietly in the background. Budget cuts and peace dividends made military manufacturing a quiet, unglamorous niche. That era is over. Following the invasion of Ukraine, demand for heavy weaponry skyrocketed, turning companies like Rheinmetall into central pillars of continental security. Related reporting on the subject has been published by Al Jazeera.
Rheinmetall's financial growth reflects this reality. The firm has logged massive revenue surges and record order backlogs exceeding 80 billion euros. They are expanding production facilities, doubling gunpowder manufacturing capacities, and building maintenance hubs directly supporting front-line hardware.
This industrial output is precisely why corporate leaders have become targets. Moscow views heavy artillery supply chains as legitimate battlegrounds. Intelligence reports from Western agencies have exposed ongoing covert operations aimed at destabilizing European defense infrastructure. From foiled assassination plots to suspicious fires at industrial supply sites, the pressure on executives is real.
Papperger refuses to let it alter his strategy. You cannot manufacture hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds and armored vehicles while hiding under a desk.
Living in the Crosshairs
Security details, armored vehicles, and restricted movements are now part of daily life for top defense executives. Western intelligence services monitor communications constantly, screening for credible threats.
When asked if the constant danger prompts second thoughts, leadership brushes it aside. The logic inside these boardrooms is simple. If Western industrial capacity fails to scale up, European security collapses entirely. The personal risk is treated as an occupational hazard rather than a deterrent.
This aggressive scaling comes with logistical nightmares. Supply chains face bottlenecks, skilled labor is short, and political shifts across global allies create lingering uncertainty. Still, the primary friction point remains hostile interference. Hybrid warfare relies on intimidation. By publicly stating that he will not "chicken out," Papperger attempts to break the psychological utility of these threats.
What the Defense Sector Faces Next
The reality of modern manufacturing involves cybersecurity defenses as much as steel production. Factories face constant digital probing, and component suppliers are vetted with extreme scrutiny.
European governments are finally waking up to the reality of protecting critical private infrastructure. Police and intelligence units work closely with corporate security teams to lock down facilities. But the threat surface is massive. A sprawling network of subcontractors means vulnerabilities exist far beyond main corporate headquarters.
Papperger's stance sets a tone for other industrial leaders across the continent. Weakness invites escalation.
The manufacturing lines will keep running. The contracts with NATO partners and front-line nations will move forward. The pressure is unprecedented, but the response from Europe's heavy industrial core is absolute defiance.
