Berlin has developed new contingencies, including imposition of a draft and government control of food distribution
The German government has finalized new plans for a potential war, including reinstatement of compulsory military service and deployment of NATO troops on its eastern flank, citing rising concerns over perceived threats from Russia.
The country’s new defense framework was approved by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet on Wednesday, replacing guidelines that dated back to 1989. “As a result of Russian aggression, we have a completely changed security situation in Europe,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in a statement.
The new defense plan spells out such details as mandatory conscription and forcing manufacturers to produce only war goods. Parts of the country could be evacuated, and subway stations, underground parking lots and other subterranean facilities would be used as temporary shelters.
Revisions to the framework also reflect NATO’s eastward expansion, which could mean coming to the aid of allies in the Baltic States. “Germany is no longer a frontline state, but serves the allied armed forces as a hub for the alliance in the heart of Europe,” the cabinet said.
The government reportedly has plans to control food distribution to deal with possible shortages in the event of a war. Those contingencies include stockpiling wheat and other grains in secret locations and creating an emergency reserve of rice and beans. The reserves would provide the German population with one hot meal a day, German media outlet Bild reported.
Beyond the military draft, citizens could be forced to work in certain civilian jobs, such as nursing or baking bread. Hospitals would have to be prepared for large influxes of patients.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the new plans reflect increased security threats. “The overall defense of Germany is a task to which we all have to make our contribution, state and civil institutions, as well as each and every one of us,” he insisted. “We need a resilient society that can deal with the challenges.”
Pistorius warned German lawmakers on Wednesday that the country must be “ready for war” by 2029. He suggested that the Bundeswehr needs to be expanded, ideally by requiring military service that “cannot be completely free of obligations.”
Berlin abolished its draft in 2011, and the country’s military has faced equipment shortfalls. A parliamentary report last year said that at the current pace of military revitalization, it could take half a century to shore up German forces.
Germany and other NATO members have claimed that the bloc faces the threat of a Russian invasion if Moscow prevails in its conflict with Ukraine. Speaking at a briefing with foreign media outlets on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Western governments are stoking absurd fears to help maintain their global hegemony. “Someone has imagined that Russia wants to attack NATO,” he added. “Have you gone completely insane? Are you as thick as a plank? Who came up with this nonsense, this bulls**t?”