The German Army Prepares Companies for a Potential War with Russia

The Bundeswehr, Germany's federal army, has begun instructing German companies in anticipation of a potential military conflict and the possible extension of the Ukraine war to the rest of Europe, reports the German newspaper 'Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung' in its digital edition on Monday. The basis of these preventive preparations is the so-called 'Operationsplan Deutschland', a strategic document of over a thousand pages developed by the government and senior military officials with secret details whose content has not been disclosed. Its main objective is the defense of the country's critical infrastructure from possible external aggressions, including cyberattacks.

The confidential text includes a detailed and specific list of all buildings and infrastructures that deserve special protection from a military perspective and formulates action plans in case the country's defenses are activated against any threat from Russia. The role of companies and industry is also defined in this plan, whose development and execution is the responsibility of the Territorial Command of the Bundeswehr under the orders of Lieutenant General André Bodemann and directly dependent on the highest German military authority, the Inspector General of the Federal Army and Army General, Carsten Breuer.

The aforementioned newspaper highlights that the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce was the first place where the Bundeswehr invited several German companies for an initial contact to instruct them on the plan, a meeting in which Lieutenant Colonel Jörn Plischke provided specific advice. Among others, he suggested that 5 out of every 100 employees of large firms obtain a truck driving license. "70% of all trucks circulating in Germany are driven by drivers from Eastern Europe. If there is war in those countries, where will those people be then?" the military officer asked the attendees.

Plischke advised all participants in the meeting to develop their own specific action plans in case Germany becomes involved in a military conflict, detailing what is expected of each employee if such a crisis occurs. For self-protection, it is important that the entire workforce becomes familiar with security issues. We could also strive to be self-sufficient, said the lieutenant colonel, bringing into play the diesel generator or our own wind turbine. Meetings like the one in Hamburg will take place across the country, he also announced.

"All territorial command centers are tasked with implementing the plan," a Bundeswehr spokesperson told the 'Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'. Malte Heyne, Director General of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, supported the approach. "We need to be aware of how important a well-prepared and resilient economy is for the civil and military defense of Germany," Heyne told the newspaper. According to the Federal Army itself, it "depends on the help of civil society and civilian companies in a crisis and defense situation."

The challenges in a hybrid war, such as cyberattacks on companies and infrastructures, sabotage, and terrorist attacks, "cannot be controlled purely from a military perspective, but must be mastered by the state and society as a whole," states the 'Operationsplan Deutschland', which highlights that "maximum civil support is a decisive factor" and "civil-military interaction for mutual support of the entire state" is a "central element" of the Operational Plan for Germany. It foresees the involvement of the logistics and energy sectors, as, according to the military, "reliable and flexible transportation and a reliable energy supply are indispensable for the fulfillment of the armed forces' tasks."

This plan takes into account both "NATO's demands on Germany arising from the country's geostrategic situation" and the task of the Territorial Command, which consists of "ensuring the supply of allied and own armed forces in Germany," according to the document's non-confidential and secret part, which is subject to adaptation to current circumstances. The German military anticipates that, in the event of war with Russia, the Bundeswehr's combat forces will not be located on German territory but will be deployed to NATO's eastern flank, to the Baltic States, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, and even Finland.