Former Bundestag member Johannes Arlt becomes Senior Vice President at Stark

Johannes Arlt, until now a member of the German Bundestag, is joining Stark as Senior Vice President. With him, the German loitering munition manufacturer gains a prominent voice in security policy. In his strategic role, which he takes up with immediate effect, Arlt is to expand networks and partnerships in Europe and strengthen the company's presence in the Nordic markets.

“Johannes Arlt brings not only security policy experience from parliament but also additional operational expertise from the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) to the team,” stresses Johannes Schaback, who co-founded Stark and sits on its management board. “We are delighted to be able to fill a key role in the strategic build-up of an independent defence industry in Europe with him.”

Arlt himself says of his new employer: “Stark is the most ambitious defence start-up in Europe. Bringing an operational system to market within six months shows what is possible when technological excellence and operational experience come together.” And further: “In future, Germany and Europe must not only react to threats – we must set the standards ourselves. Through Stark's innovative strength and closeness to the troops, we can develop systems that meet the real requirements of modern armed forces and ensure that Germany plays in this league.”

From the Bundestag to a loitering munition manufacturer

Arlt was a member of the 20th German Bundestag from 2021 to 2025, where he sat on the Economic Affairs Committee and the Defence Committee. His areas of responsibility there included military procurement and unmanned systems, as well as the security and defence industry. As a career officer, he brings many years of operational experience: of his seven deployments abroad in total, six involved the use of unmanned systems.