The German Ministry of Defense is preparing citizens for possible military actions
Germany's Defense Ministry has informed citizens about potential disruptions to the country's transportation system, as Berlin implements NATO directives to move troops quickly to bolster allies.
Thursday's announcement comes on the heels of an overnight multi-front attack by Russian forces in Ukraine, shutting the door to the kind of prudent decision that has given German leaders so much of their political capital.
The ministry asked the Germans to be prepared for the movements of the German armed forces through "public space." In addition, there may be restrictions on transit because land, sea, and air transportation capabilities must be dedicated to NATO revitalization plans, according to the announcement.
The launch of "national alert measures," as German defense officials called them, flows from a list of NATO steps, dubbed "crisis response measures," activated by the alliance early Thursday. These, in turn, are part of NATO's Crisis Response System, which addresses everything from conflict monitoring to Article 5 joint defense operations.
According to the German Ministry of Defense, all levels of the Bundeswehr are tasked with making preparations for switching to a rapid reaction mode in the event of a NATO response force deployment. Germany pledged to send a force of about 14,000 soldiers to that event.
Russia's attack on Ukraine has led to a marked shift in tone in a country that has demonstrated a deep aversion to anything military in recent decades. German military Twitter circulated Thursday with analysts and politicians calling for a thorough re-examination of the country's defense capabilities and the money spent on it.
But in the current situation, parts of the German armed forces are still lackluster. German Army Chief of Staff General Alphonse Meese lamented his service status in a widely shared LinkedIn post-Thursday morning.
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