Make howitzers, not Fabias

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told BBC Radio 4 on Sunday (starting at 9:10) that Ukraine's Nato allies need to ramp up production of weapons, ammunition and spare parts and that this is exactly what they're doing. By coincidence, Czech PM Petr Fiala said that same day in his New Year's address that many Czech defense-industry companies have expanded their production and have hired thousands of new employees in recent months. "We're systematically supporting the participation of domestic industry in military procurement," he said. "This creates jobs, mostly ones with high added-value, meaning that they are well-paid jobs, and it thus supports the competitiveness of the Czech economy." Good golly, Miss Molly, why didn't he say this sooner? The Czech automobile industry is racking its brain about how to meet Euro 7 emissions limits, and the militarization of Czech industry was the solution all along. It'll be howitzers and tanks now, instead of Fabias and Kamiqs.