War plans by the German Federal Ministry of Defence foresee a broader use of civilian logistics companies such as Deutsche Bahn or Lufthansa for transporting supplies to the front, training soldiers, and maintaining military equipment.

This information was published by the newspaper Handelsblatt. According to this, in the event of a war with Russia, the transport of NATO soldiers to the eastern front by Lufthansa aircraft is on the agenda.

It is stated that Lufthansa, which has been involved in the training of German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) transport pilots since the 1960s, could also undertake the training of fighter jet pilots in the future.

Furthermore, the company Lufthansa Technik Defense will transform into a defence company by undertaking the maintenance and repair of the Bundeswehr’s fighter jets, helicopters, and maritime patrol aircraft in the future.

German Railways (Deutsche Bahn), on the other hand, has committed to providing flat wagons for the transport of tanks upon request. According to reports, German Railways is also in talks with the German Armed Forces regarding the conversion of ICE wagons into sleeping cars for the transport of the wounded.

The Bundeswehr always officially utilizes civilian logistics companies for the transport of military equipment, as well as personnel transport.

The Operational Command Command confirmed to the newspaper Handelsblatt that “outside of crisis areas,” this is “almost entirely” the case.

Even in crisis areas, private companies carry out a “significant portion” of German military transport. For this purpose, the Bundeswehr has signed numerous transport framework agreements.

For example, contracts have been signed with Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Schenker, a long-standing subsidiary of DB which has now been taken over by the Danish logistics company DSV, as well as with DHL, Hermes, and Kühne & Nagel.

Among the most important contractors in road transport is Transa, a subsidiary of DB Cargo in Offenbach.

According to the Operational Command Command, the Bundeswehr is 100% dependent on civilian companies for the sea and air transport of oversized and heavy materials. For air transport, it uses wide-body aircraft belonging to Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines, which depart from Halle/Leipzig airport.

For strategic sea transport, a cooperation agreement has been signed with Denmark’s DFDS Seaways. Under this agreement, DFDS Seaways must provide three RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) vessels within 15 to 30 days if required.

In land transport, the central role in the transport of military equipment belongs to the DB company. DB holds a 24.9% stake in BwFuhrparkService, a service provider for the Bundeswehr.

DB, which is currently transporting heavy military equipment for troops stationed in Lithuania, coordinates the planning and execution of rail transport 100% together with its subsidiary DB Cargo, according to information provided by a Bundeswehr officer.

Logistics experts argue that the German railway system is in very poor condition and that sufficient transport capacity cannot be provided in a war situation.

Considering this situation, a large part of the 500 billion euro special fund will be used for the renovation of the railway network. The CDU/CSU and SPD coalition agreement prioritizes the expansion of railways eastward, towards Poland and the Czech Republic.

DB Cargo committed to providing 343 flat wagons in the short term for the transport of tanks in 2023. Furthermore, the conversion of container wagons into flat wagons is also planned if needed.

According to reports, the Bundeswehr is also in talks with DB regarding the conversion of ICE wagons into sleeping cars for the transport of the wounded.

The Bundeswehr is making extensive plans to expand cooperation with Lufthansa. These plans are not limited to transport projects.

Observers note that Lufthansa played a role in the evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan in August 2021: While Bundeswehr transport aircraft took the evacuees from Kabul to Tashkent in Uzbekistan, Lufthansa undertook their transport from there to Germany. The German airline reportedly earned approximately 5 million euros for a total of 17 Lufthansa charter flights.

However, in a war situation, Lufthansa’s aircraft will not be needed solely for evacuation. It is also on the agenda for the airline, which is still officially civilian, to conduct flights to transport thousands, or even tens of thousands, of soldiers from Germany and possibly other NATO countries to a new eastern front should conflicts break out.

Whether there are enough pilots and other crew members available is also uncertain, and theoretically, they cannot be assigned to wartime duties.

According to some insider information obtained by Handelsblatt, there are some pilots with a background in the air force who might volunteer, but it remains uncertain whether this will be sufficient.

Beyond this, the issue of expanding military training provided by Lufthansa has also come up.

This is not new in principle. Since 1963, there has been cooperation between the German Armed Forces and the Lufthansa Civil Aviation School in Bremen, and military transport aircraft pilots are also trained at this school.

Lufthansa Aviation Training also trains German armed forces transport pilots in Phoenix, US, and in simulators near Munich airport.

The airline also began training German Armed Forces drone pilots in 2012; these pilots must first undergo normal pilot training to acquire general aviation knowledge.

Currently, it is being discussed whether Lufthansa will also enter the basic training of air force fighter jet pilots. The company’s CEO, Carsten Spohr, announced in March that “very interesting and positive discussions” had taken place on this matter in recent months.

Handelsblatt states that if this happens, fighter jet pilots will receive their basic training at Lufthansa; only “certification and military pilot training” will be carried out by the Air Force, and in this case, the Air Force’s burden will be significantly reduced.

Finally, Lufthansa is trying to get new orders from the Bundeswehr for its technical division. It has been undertaking the Bundeswehr’s flight services for over 60 years and specifically carries out maintenance and repair work.

The company management had decided to get more involved in military business in 2019. This plan gained further momentum with the federal government’s initial allocation of a 100 billion euro special fund.

To benefit from these and future military expenditures, Lufthansa Technik established a subsidiary named “Defense”. This entity is conducting talks with the German Armed Forces regarding potential orders for the maintenance and repair of the US F-35 fighter jet and the Boeing Chinook CH-47 transport helicopter. Both aircraft will be purchased by the German Armed Forces.

In addition, Lufthansa aims to win the maintenance and repair tender for the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to be delivered to the German Navy. It is stated that the aircraft is based on the civilian short and medium-range Boeing 737, for which Lufthansa Technik has extensive maintenance experience.

Furthermore, Boeing also transferred the maintenance and repair of the P-8 maritime patrol aircraft supplied by the New Zealand Armed Forces to the German consortium at the end of 2022.

Therefore, Lufthansa wants to enter the military business not only nationally but also internationally.

The German Foreign Ministry warned that Russia’s Ambassador to Berlin, Sergey Nechayev, could be “forcibly removed” if he continued with his plans to attend German commemoration ceremonies related to World War II.

The ministry had issued a directive stating that Russian and Belarusian diplomatic representatives should not attend commemoration events for the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in 1945, in order to prevent the countries responsible for the ongoing aggression against Ukraine from “instrumentalizing” the commemorations.

However, the issue turned into a diplomatic tension when Russian Ambassador Sergey Nechayev gave a defiant response. Nechayev said he could attend the relevant events even if not invited.

Nechayev told the dpa agency, “We do not need a special invitation to honor the memory of Soviet liberators and victims of Nazism in public places.”

The tension could escalate during the commemoration events for the anniversary of the liberation of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Brandenburg on May 4.

In light of Russia’s comments, regional authorities announced that they would comply with the ministry’s directive and exercise their right to control access to public monuments “in coordination with security forces” to prevent Nechayev from attending the event.

A ministry spokesperson said yesterday, “If someone is not invited and is standing at the door, one must consider how to deal with that.”

The spokesperson added, “One option is to use residency rights and not let the person in.”

Notably, the Berlin Municipality also later intervened, stating that they also expected Russian representatives to stay away.

Three frequently visited monuments for the Red Army are located in the capital on May 9, the anniversary of Germany’s surrender according to Moscow time.

Nechayev, however, signaled that he was not afraid of confrontation. Despite not being invited, he had attended the commemoration ceremony for the four-day Battle of the Seelow Heights last week, where the Red Army besieged Berlin in April 1945. He had been welcomed by local authorities.

Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen are set to finalize plans today (April 24) for a new UK/EU defense pact and an agreement on the sensitive area of fishing rights, paving the way for negotiations on a broader economic deal.

The UK Prime Minister and the European Commission President are expected to announce a defense and security pact and a renewal of existing fishing arrangements at a summit on May 19.

Multiple officials briefed on the talks told the Financial Times (FT) that the defense agreement would build trust and open the door to sensitive discussions on issues such as a new youth mobility scheme, energy cooperation, and the removal of barriers to trade in food and agricultural products.

British officials said Starmer is expected to hold an hour-long meeting with Von der Leyen in London today on the sidelines of an international energy security summit. One official said they “have a strong personal relationship.”

The agreement is expected to be accompanied by a document outlining cooperation in other areas on May 19. An EU diplomat briefed on the summit preparations said, “The plan is to issue a document setting out a joint path forward.” A British official added, “May 19 will be the starting point.”

According to three people familiar with the matter, the thorny issue of fishing is expected to be resolved by maintaining existing fishing quotas in UK waters for at least two years, providing the certainty demanded by France and other coastal nations for EU boats.

In return, UK defense companies would gain access to potential €150 billion in EU-backed loans to finance arms purchases under the bloc’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) project.

Brussels has non-legally binding security agreements with six countries, including Norway, Albania, South Korea, and Japan, but UK and EU negotiators are discussing a potentially deeper bilateral partnership.

The SAFE program would allow EU members to issue bonds outside the financial limits set by Brussels, backed by the EU budget and reducing costs. The program is designed to finance arms purchases from manufacturers in EU member states and countries with security agreements with the EU.

A senior EU diplomat said, “European defense policy is unthinkable without the UK. That is why the UK needs to be closely involved in SAFE, just like Norway.”

Many member states have pressured France to accept the deal, but Paris has insisted that access to UK fish stocks remain at the same level after June 2026, when an agreement made during Brexit expires. Some member states are still pushing for at least a five-year deal on fish.

The two sides are expected to deepen cooperation in the energy sector, such as developing electricity trade between the UK and the EU, likely over a longer term to reflect the time needed to build infrastructure like electricity interconnectors.

The summit communiqué will also set out a roadmap for future discussions on reconnecting the two sides’ carbon emissions trading systems.

An EU diplomat said, “There will be a common understanding that could include a veterinary agreement, ETS, and youth mobility. It’s still a moving target, but the music in the air is definitely positive. There is credible hope that there could be a landing zone by May 19.”

A Downing Street official also underlined that there is real willingness on both sides. Another senior British official assessed the chances of an agreement as “75/25.”

An EU diplomat said the struggle over fishing rights is separate from the security agreement plans, but “intense negotiations” continue on other elements of the deal.

These elements include security, mobility and migration, reconnecting energy markets, and a “veterinary agreement” aimed at removing border controls on animal and plant products traded across the English Channel.

Significant gaps remain to be resolved on youth mobility, a key UK demand, and the rights of artists to tour in the EU. However, EU officials said London has accepted the principle of “dynamic alignment,” where the UK would automatically accept EU rules and standards, and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) would be the final arbiter on matters related to EU law.

Sensitive issues such as how disputes will be resolved and how the ECJ’s jurisdiction will work in practice are still awaiting negotiation.

One official said, “The more urgent question is how the UK will implement the mechanisms to ensure dynamic alignment and transpose EU rules into UK law.”