"The very necessity of bringing our armament up to a certain level as rapidly as possible must place in the foreground the idea of as large returns as possible in foreign exchange and therewith the greatest possible assurance of raw material supplies, through exporting"

Hjalmar Schacht's quote is describing the requirement for a nation to quickly increase its armament in order to be able to protect itself. He is suggesting that in order to do this, the country needs to focus on getting as much foreign exchange as possible, as this will offer the greatest assurance of raw material supplies. This is due to the fact that forex can be used to purchase the required basic materials from other countries. Schacht is emphasizing the importance of having a strong military presence, and the need to ensure that the nation has the resources to do so. He is recommending that the best way to achieve this is to concentrate on getting as much foreign exchange as possible, as this will supply the greatest assurance of basic material products. This quote highlights the importance of having a strong military existence, and the requirement to ensure that the country has the resources to do so.