The German Ministry of Defense has drawn up contingency plans for a possible military conflict with Russia, Der Spiegel and Bild have reported.
The document is said to provide for Germany to serve as a transit country for NATO troops, while the population and civil services can assist foreign military personnel.
Last month, the German government officially updated its wartime guidelines for the first time since 1989, which now include measures such as conscription and forcing manufacturers to produce war goods.
In a published article, Der Spiegel writes that according to “Germany’s Operational Plan” (OPLAN DEU), the country should be able to organize the transfer of 800,000 NATO troops and about 200,000 vehicles, including tanks and equipment. others, from ports in the Netherlands and Belgium in the East, within three to six months. Several key highways are supposed to be used for this purpose, which means they will be closed to civilian traffic. Local communities are expected to supply transient military personnel with food, shelter, rest areas and fuel, both media outlets claimed.
Der Spiegel quotes Ralph Tiesler, president of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, as predicting that “enemy actors may take measures to impede or slow down the movement of NATO troops,” either through sabotage or an attack with rocket. German police and emergency services are reported to prioritize protecting these main roads and eliminating the consequences of any attack on them.
According to Bild, which quotes a Defense Ministry spokesman, in addition to its role as NATO’s logistics hub, Germany would also have to establish a large prisoner-of-war camp on its soil if it were to break out a military confrontation with Russia.
The two media quoted Bundeswehr inspector general Carsten Breuer as saying that Berlin has until 2029 to prepare for a possible military conflict with Moscow, as Russia is believed to be in a position to attacked NATO until then.
