Thiel Involvement in Drone Startup: Greens Push for 'Shield' for Defense Industry - Germany's drone deals with Starke Defence spark controversy over Peter Thiel's ties
The German armed forces are preparing to award major contracts for combat drones to two domestic firms, Helsing and Starke Defence. However, concerns have surfaced over the involvement of Peter Thiel, a controversial investor linked to Starke Defence. Green Party defence spokesperson Sara Nanni has demanded stricter oversight before any deals proceed.
The Bundestag's budget committee is expected to greenlight two significant drone contracts with Helsing and Starke Defence. Yet the Green Party has raised alarms about Thiel's stake in the latter, citing his ties to the MAGA movement and scepticism of democracy. Nanni argued that national security cannot depend on the 'goodwill of dangerous billionaire networks.'
She accused the Defence Ministry of accepting Starke Defence's claims that Thiel holds no direct influence without independent verification. Nanni called for full transparency on all MAGA-linked investments, including contracts and ownership structures. If investigations confirm problematic control, she insisted the government must block the awards.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has already expressed reservations about Thiel's role in Starke Defence, particularly regarding a €900 million kamikaze drone deal set for approval by February 2026. While existing laws allow conditional approval for foreign investments in strategic firms, no concrete action has been taken. The Federal Ministry of Economics oversees broader security-related trade regulations, but specifics remain unclear.
Nanni framed Germany's arms sector as 'critical infrastructure,' especially in countering threats from Russia. She pushed for a legal shield to prevent foreign interference in defence industries, warning that structural influence by hostile investors could compromise sovereignty.
The drone contracts now face heightened scrutiny over Thiel's involvement. Nanni's demands for transparency and legal safeguards could delay or reshape the procurement process. The government must decide whether to proceed under current rules or impose stricter controls on foreign-backed defence firms.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
