France’s arms agency DGA signed an agreement with armored vehicle makers KNDS and Arquus on Tuesday to reserve industry veterans as mentors. The idea is to create a pool of skilled workers who can be used to train others or to improve productivity at defense industry enterprises. A potential source of personnel for France’s defense industry is the auto industry, with the DGA already working with carmaker Renault.
Workers participating in France’s manufacturing reserve program are required to undergo 10 days of training per year to maintain and update their skills, paid for by the DGA. France plans to have a 3,000-person reserve by 2030. There are about 4,500 small and medium-sized companies in France working in defense, of which 1,200 are critical and could need additional workers to help with training, design, and production. The example cited is KNDS, where retirees were involved in ramping up production of the Caesar artillery gun and were able to share their expertise to help smaller firms with fewer resources cope with delays.
Earlier this month, the DGA signed a contract to create a defence industrial reserve with shipbuilder Naval Grou, as well as 3D printing company Vistory, firearms manufacturer Verney-Carron and Scania.