German Defense Minister Pistorius said a strong military force is needed to defend the ability to live freely in peace "because, otherwise, [...] Putin will take that kind of living away from us"

"[Putin] does not stop stressing what he's really longing for, like, a renaissance of the Soviet empire," Pistorius said of Putin. "He wants to be the dominant power in Europe. [...]"

Germany's biggest defense contractor, Rheinmetall, and its subsidiaries have won a commanding share of recent government contracts.

Twitter: Germany is now rebuilding its military, and Rheinmetall is building and expanding 13 arms factories across Europe.

[60 Minutes Video]

Rheinmetall was one of Germany's major arms producers during WWI and WWII.