Christiane Kühl (SZ Dossier) im Gespräch mit Dennis Kinzelmann, CEO von Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks
On February 12, 2026, the SZ Summit Salon took place at Café Luitpold in Munich as part of the Munich Security Conference under the title “Rethinking Security – Europe’s Response to the Return of Geopolitics.”
The Süddeutsche Zeitung describes the situation soberly: War has moved closer to Europe, the US is openly pursuing territorial interests, Europe is searching for its strategic position – and in Germany, the return of military service is once again being discussed. Security policy is back at the center of social debate.
In this context, Christiane Kühl (SZ Dossier) spoke with Dennis Kinzelmann, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks. I was there as a member of the audience and have summarized the key points.
When asked how a Unimog is made suitable for military use and how much effort this requires, Kinzelmann responded clearly: “This is nothing new for us.” The Unimog has had civilian and military roots for decades. Off-road capability, robustness, and modular platforms are part of its DNA. What is new, however, is the strategic dimension. Today, the focus is more on scalability and speed. Defense capability means not only budget, but also industrial delivery capability. A key element is the ability to ramp up transport capacities quickly.
Kinzelmann was particularly clear on the subject of autonomous driving. The vision: highly off-road vehicles that can be operated without a driver. The goal is to protect people while increasing operational performance. “Ultimately, human resources will also be a limiting factor,” said Kinzelmann. Autonomous systems could make a decisive contribution here. The strategy is to make civilian developments – especially in the field of autonomous driving – usable for military applications. Mercedes-Benz can draw on years of civilian development work and transfer this to the defense world.
Another focus: off-the-shelf procurement. Instead of lengthy special developments, Kinzelmann advocates a stronger focus on commercially available platforms. Standardization reduces costs, accelerates processes, and enables broader industrial participation. The company sees a structural advantage here: large-scale civilian production – for example, at the Wörth plant – creates a completely different basis for scaling than specialized defense suppliers with smaller quantities.
In the geopolitical context of the evening, it became clear that security policy today is also industrial policy. Europe must not only think strategically, but also be able to produce. Supply chains, production sites, and technological expertise are decisive factors. The message from the discussion at Café Luitpold was clear: anyone who wants to “rethink security” must also consider industrial scaling, standardization, and digitalization. Defense capabilities are not created solely in ministries – but also in production halls.
Robert Metzger
CEO & Publisher
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