German companies are advised to prepare for war
20 November, 2024 German soldiers. Source: dvz.de Germany's largest companies are being advised to prepare for a possible war with Russia.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reports that the Bundeswehr has started reaching out to company representatives to prepare for a possible war with Russia. According to the newspaper, the government has developed a secret "German Operational Plan" in case of a military invasion. In particular, it lists all buildings and infrastructure facilities that require special protection for military purposes.
The document also contains a detailed defense action plan.
Who and how works together in case of war in Germany. Source: Ministry of Defense of Germany
In addition, a special plan is envisaged in the event of a direct clash between Russia and NATO in Eastern Europe. In this case, Germany would become a transportation hub for soldiers to be transferred to the front, as well as for military equipment, food, and medicine.
The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry held the first event to prepare German companies for a possible military conflict. The Head of Hamburg State Command, Lieutenant Colonel Jorn Plischke, made specific recommendations for business representatives. "For every hundred employees, train at least five additional truck drivers.
People from Eastern Europe drive 70% of all trucks on German roads. If there is a war there, where will these people end up?" the military asked. According to him, enterprises should have autonomous power sources, such as diesel generators or their own wind turbines.
Plischke added that Russia is preparing for a conflict with Germany by conducting unmanned reconnaissance flights, sabotage, cyberattacks, and assassination attempts on top managers of German companies. The Lieutenant Colonel emphasized that Germany has major problems with producing military equipment and ammunition. After the military's speech, the mayor of Hamburg said that the city had introduced volunteers who do not belong to the Bundeswehr combat unit but are involved in security and safety tasks to the third civil defense company.
For its part, the Hamburg Senate has already responded to the threat and created more than 40 additional jobs to strengthen crisis management and protect the population. Conversations like the one in Hamburg are taking place across the country. "All federal state commands have been instructed to carry out this task," the Bundeswehr reported.
The future of the plan
According to the publication, the "German Operational Plan" has not yet been approved and will be supplemented by the Red Storm Bravo exercise, which will focus on logistics.
During the first phase of the exercise, civilian forces and the Bundeswehr practiced protecting the port's berths to prevent reconnaissance and sabotage attempts. In mid-October, Bruno Kahl, President of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, said that Russia could attack NATO by 2030.
Bruno Kahl, President of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service. Photo credits: Reuters
According to him, the Kremlin views Germany as an adversary, as Berlin is Ukraine's second largest ally.
He also emphasized that the likelihood of NATO invoking the mutual defense clause in the coming years will remain high.
Vladimir Putin seeks not only to expand the Kremlin's influence in Europe but also to oust the US military presence from the continent, as US defense spending far exceeds that of the European Union, the German intelligence chief added.
In November, Germany decided to resume military accounting.