Germany Develops Secret Plan for Potential War with Russia
BERLIN – Germany is rapidlyโ developing a extensive defense plan, codenamed internally, โto prepare โfor a potential large-scale โขconflict withโค Russia, according to a report by Expressen. The plan, โinitiated after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine inโ earlyโ 2023, addresses critical logistical and legal shortcomings hindering Germany’s defense capabilities after decades of โคrelative peace.
The initiative comes amid growing concerns that Russia may be preparingโค for an attack on NATO sooner than previously anticipated.While German analystsโข had previously estimated a potential Russian attack โreadiness by 2029, recent incidents of sabotage and air strikes haveโค heightened fears of an earlier confrontation. A potential cessation of fighting in Ukraine would also free up Russian resources for a westward shift.
“The goal is to prevent war byโ making it clear to our enemies that if thay attack us, they will not succeed,” stated a high-ranking officer involved in the plan’s progress.
Germany, both due to its geographic location and military capacity, would be a โคkey nation in any conflictโฃ with Russia. The plan focuses on overcoming obstacles created by years of underinvestment and peacetimeโค regulations. These โinclude updating procurement rules and data โคprotection laws,as well as addressing infrastructure deficiencies.
“We โคhave to relearn what we have unlearned,” explained Nils Schmid,Germany’s deputy defense minister. “We haveโฃ to drag people back from retirement to tell them โhow weโ didโฃ it back then.”
A meaningful challenge identified in the plan is theโ inadequacyโ of Germany’s infrastructure. Approximately 20 percent of German roads require repair and โคstrengthening to support heavyโค military traffic,and over โSEK 160 billion (approximately $15.6 billion โUSD) in investment is needed to upgrade ports along the Baltic and North Seas.
Despite these challenges, the German Army reportsโ significant progress. “Considering that we โstarted with a blank slate at โคthe beginning of 2023, we are โคvery satisfied with โคwhereโฃ we stand today. This is a very sophisticated product,” said an officer and co-author of the plan.
Theโ primary uncertainty remains the โคtimeframe for potential conflict. As Chancellor Friedrich โฃMerz previously stated, “The threats are real. We are not at war, butโค we no longer live in peacetime.”