TKMS CEO Oliver Burkhard on Submarines, NATO and Allied Naval Power
As global tensions rise and maritime security takes centre stage, submarines are emerging as one of the most decisive strategic assets of the 21st century. Against this backdrop, CDR asked Senior Staff Writer, Joetey Attariwala, to sit down with Oliver Burkhard, CEO of TKMS, for an exclusive interview and timely discussion on the expanding role of undersea capabilities, the critical importance of NATO interoperability, and the industrial and strategic imperatives shaping the future of allied naval power. Here is that conversation.
CDR: Thank you for taking the time to speak with CDR Mr. Burkhard. As TKMS advances its campaign for Canada’s Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), how does the company’s long-term strategic vision position TKMS to deliver not only a submarine platform, but a sovereign undersea capability aligned with Canada’s Arctic and Indo-Pacific priorities?
Oliver Burkhard: For us as a global champion for conventional submarines, supplying our 212CD for Canada’s CPSP would be of historic significance – and an excellent fit for all involved. Canada is a key partner for Germany, Norway and Europe – and your CPSP receives our full commitment.
When you look at a map of Canada you see a country surrounded by three oceans that present very different operational challenges for submarines – challenges, we can handle well. For over 60 years we have supplied submarine platforms for more than 20 countries, encompassing the Atlantic, the Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions.
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As a joint collaboration for the German and Norwegian navies, the 212CD is the pinnacle of our technological development: competitive in shallow and blue-water conditions, with record endurance for a conventional submarine and perfectly adapted for all oceans.
Beyond designing a platform that can deliver high performance in the extreme conditions of the Arctic, TKMS has a global footprint that it can leverage to ensure operational support wherever the Royal Canadian Navy is deployed.
Our strategic vision is to use CPSP to bring Canadian industry into the 212CD family. That means Canadian champions like Kongsberg Geospatial, Seaspan, Cohere, MARMEN, Magellan and, most recently, CAE will be integrated into TKMS’s global supply chain. We see great untapped potential in these companies to make an impact – not just in Canada, but around the world.
CDR: In what specific ways does TKMS’ legacy of excellence in conventional submarine design and lifecycle sustainment differentiate your CPSP proposal from other global competitors?
Oliver Burkhard: Team 212CD can deliver to Canada the world’s most advanced conventional submarine. TKMS has built more than 170 submarines for 20 different navies since 1960. Of these, 40% were built in the customer country. We have a history of genuine and sustainable technology transfer and enabling in-country sovereign capabilities – not least shown by the very fact that our remaining competitor for Canada’s submarine program is South Korea, a country that once learned to build submarines from us.
Canada is not just acquiring submarines. The CPSP is intended to create a partnership that can enable Canada to leverage its industrial capacity, diversify its trade relationships, and future-proof its sovereignty in an unpredictable world. Success depends on trust.
Over the past 75 years, Canada, Germany and Norway have established a deep economic, political and security relationship. There are over 300 German companies doing business in Canada, employing more than 25,000 Canadians in every part of the country. We are allies in NATO.
Successfully building and sustaining in-country is a crucial differentiator between us and others. Making it happen requires real integration of local industry and true knowledge sharing. Real IP transfer. Partnership.
If Canada joined Team 212CD, submarines will be maintained in Canada, major components will be built in Canada, and Canadian companies will be invited to join TKMS’s network of global suppliers. A qualified domestic supplier would benefit from a long-term partnership that could enable it to supply more than just the Canadian fleet. In the process, Canada will receive know-how, training and intellectual property rights for sovereign sustainment.
READ: Canadian Submarine History: CPSP Marks Bold Break from the Past
ARCTIC OPERATIONS
CDR: Canada requires submarines capable of sustained operations in Arctic, Pacific and North Atlantic conditions. How is TKMS’ design philosophy aligned to meet Canada’s geographic, environmental and sovereignty requirements?
Oliver Burkhard: As I noted above, our submarines are already operating in the Arctic, Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Ocean. More than ten years ago, a TKMS submarine broke the world record for a conventional submarine’s complete submersion-time – two weeks at the time. Our Air-Independent Propulsion systems, optionally combined with Lithium-Ion batteries, is the gamechanger that allows extended safe performance also under the ice. Our technological excellence and reliable performance are one of the reasons why TKMS supplies roughly 70% of NATO’s conventional submarine fleet.
Furthermore, the 212CD represents the evolution of decades of operational feedback from our global customer base. It is engineered to meet demanding missions and to support both the platform and the sailors who operate it.
The 212CD is ideally suited to defend Canada’s interests – in all oceans.
INDUSTRIAL PARTNERSHIP MODEL
CDR: How would TKMS structure its industrial participation strategy in Canada to ensure meaningful technology transfer, domestic workforce development, and long-term sustainment sovereignty if successful under CPSP?
Oliver Burkhard: Canada will be full member of 212CD family on eye-level. We commit to the transfer of technology, know-how and IP.
Our approach encompasses: training Canadian personnel in Germany (on-the-job training) and on-site in Canada; creating a long-term skills transfer pipeline for engineers, technicians, and naval staff; making core elements of our IP available under controlled, sovereign frameworks; and assisting Canada to build the capability to upgrade and sustain its submarine fleet independently – with Canadian companies in the lead.
We will create economic value for decades to come in Canada.
SAFE & TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION
CDR: With Canada now participating in the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence procurement instrument, how do you see opportunities for Canadian industry to integrate into TKMS-led European supply chains, and how might that strengthen TKMS’s CPSP bid?
Oliver Burkhard: Canada’s accession to the EU SAFE program is a clear sign: We see you as part of the “EU family”. Canada’s defence industry gains preferential access to the rapidly expanding EU defence market, growing at 15% annually. This exceptional status will be leveraged and intensified even further by CPSP.
Let me be clear: We need to take the partnership between Europe and Canada to a new level to face the escalating geopolitical challenges together. CPSP is a unique opportunity to do this – far beyond the joint procurement and operation of submarines. The economic value delivered to Canada, with full support from German and Norwegian governments, is geared to building our national resilience and strategic autonomy through industrial strength together.
Accordingly, Team 212CD presents Canada with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to align Canadian and European resources in defence for mutual benefit. The combination of CPSP and EU SAFE makes Canada a preferential partner in building European defence across the board.
CDR: Submarine programs are complex and high-risk. What program governance and risk management mechanisms would TKMS implement to provide Canada with cost, schedule, and performance certainty over the full program lifecycle?
Oliver Burkhard: Submarine operations permit very little room for error – and we have been in this business successfully for over 170 years: Risk management is at the core of our company’s DNA. Over the past 60 years, TKMS has built a record of delivery of more than 170 Submarines, to be exact 174, in addition a two-digit number is currently under construction, mostly within scope, time, and budget. Furthermore, the addition of a second shipyard in Wismar, Germany, guarantees that delivery speed will increase.
We have shared with Canada our metrics and methods to define cost, schedule and risk with both transparency and accuracy. Given the quality of our technology, we have submarines in the field that are reaching 50-years of unblemished service. In fact, Colombia has asked TKMS to quote a ten-year lifecycle extension on its submarines, meaning they will see their 60th birthdays before being decommissioned.
ENGAGEMENT WITH CANADA
CDR: In light of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent visit to the TKMS shipyard in Germany, and as Canada advances its CPSP to recapitalize the Royal Canadian Navy’s undersea capability, how did that engagement shape your assessment of Canada’s strategic priorities and industrial expectations, and in what concrete ways is TKMS prepared to align its submarine technology transfer model to meet Canada’s defence-industrial objectives?
Oliver Burkhard: We see Prime Minister Carney’s visit and our selection for the final round for CPSP as a tremendous expression of trust and confidence – and as an obligation to us: We give everything to live up to this with all our skill, our experience and resources. It spoke to the confidence in our technical capabilities and track-record, but also underscored just how much trust there is between Germany, Norway and Canada.
Canada’s project schedule is aggressive and we can fulfill it. By engaging in a joint procurement with Germany and Norway, Canada is entering into a strategic partnership under full steam and is dramatically reducing the risk of such a procurement.
We are building on 75 years of cooperation, collaboration, and mutual protection. More importantly, Germany will be a forceful champion of Canadian industry in Europe, helping Canadian companies access European defence customers. On many levels, the CPSP can serve as a catalyst for Canada’s industrial goals and national defence priorities.
CDR: Given concurrent international commitments, how has TKMS evolved its production capacity and supply chain resilience to accommodate a program of CPSP’s scale without compromising delivery timelines?
Oliver Burkhard: Germany’s and Norway’s submarines are proceeding on time, and Canada would join a well running established submarine program.
TKMS has timely invested in preparation of this program. Not only by building a new, modern shipbuilding hall in Kiel based on decades of production experience and integrating the latest technologies, but also by acquiring and outfitting of an additional shipyard in Wismar, which will allow us to double the number of production lines for these submarines. The maturity and flexibility of the program means that Canada will heavily benefit from the resources, time and effort previously invested by Germany and Norway.
BUILDING A SUBMARINE ENTERPRISE
CDR: TKMS has a long-established track record of success in providing cutting-edge submarines to NATO countries and allied partners. From that lens, what advice would you give to Canadian decision makers about building a modern sustainable and adaptable submarine enterprise?
Oliver Burkhard: First of all, it’s not our task to give advice to any government, but with the release of the new Defence Industrial Strategy, the Canadian government has demonstrated that they have fully understood the challenges and necessities, which arise out of the dramatically changed geopolitical situation. The transfer of technology and know-how in course of the CPSP is paying fully into the strategic goals of the DIS, as it will lift the capabilities of Canadian defence companies to the next level. The CPSP could be a catalyst to further deepen the partnership with Europe and will pay tremendous dividends in economic and strategic value. In the current geopolitical context, Canada’s alignment with its European NATO partners is the best path to resilience, growth and strategic autonomy. This alignment could not be more important to Canada’s future national security – the driving tenant for the submarine enterprise.
Choosing us for the CPSP would also send a strong signal within NATO: A trilateral submarine program with Canada, Norway and Germany will amplify the effectiveness of what we all contribute to the Alliance.
CDR: Beyond platform delivery, how does TKMS envision a 30–40 year strategic relationship with Canada — including future capability upgrades, R&D collaboration, and potential joint venture opportunities?
Oliver Burkhard: We share the same aims and set the same priorities in Europe and in Canada: Our innovative power is a key element of our strategic competitiveness. As is clear from the recently published Canadian Defence Industrial Strategy, this is true for our nations and us as your industry partner. We are fully committed to join forces to master the challenges of the ongoing race for technological sovereignty together.
TKMS will set up a nation-wide defence and dual-use innovation ecosystem along your National Industrial Priorities and Key Sovereign Capabilities – with key German and Norwegian research partners and us as the industrial anchor and co-development enabler. This expands on our network of Canadian suppliers, shipyards and academic institutions. We already signed formal teaming agreements with Canadian companies for maintenance, component manufacturing, and subsystem integration. These collaborations will also encompass training programs, supply chain management, class management and certification.
Canada’s strategic advantage is our own, as we intend to grow our partnership together. We are in this for the long haul and with our full commitment.
CDR: Thank you.
Joetey Attariwala is CDR’s Senior Staff Writer
