With the Red Storm Bravo maneuver that began today, the German Armed Forces are conducting a large-scale military exercise for the first time, not only in the port but also in various parts of the northern German metropolis of Hamburg.

According to the commander of the Hamburg Regional Command, the scenario involves the arrival of NATO troops with their equipment and weapon systems at the port of Hamburg, followed by their transport eastward by road and rail.

As reported by German Foreign Policy, the exercise will include military convoys and helicopters passing through or flying over urban areas during the day, but especially at night. According to reports, “loud noises” and “smoke formation” are expected.

Authorities and civilian companies, including Airbus and Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), are also closely involved in this exercise. The Hamburg Employment Agency is testing the application of a 1968 law that can compel civilians to perform specific tasks, effectively implementing compulsory labor.

Observers warn that Hamburg’s importance as a transfer point for military transports makes the city a significant target in the event of war.

Military games in civilian areas

“Let’s imagine it’s war” was one of the headlines in the local Hamburg press on the occasion of this year’s Red Storm Bravo exercise, which began on Thursday.

Last year, in the context of the escalating conflict with Russia, the German Armed Forces conducted an exercise for the first time to secure the port of Hamburg for troop deployments to the east. At that time, 100 soldiers participated in the maneuvers; this year, that number has increased fivefold.

Furthermore, the German Armed Forces are expanding their “free-running” military activities in the city, which refers to training activities outside of military training areas, in the midst of civilian life.

According to the army, this year’s three-day maneuvers will focus not only on the port but also on “deployment throughout the city.” Military activities will be carried out in “various districts of Hamburg and in the port.”

The German Armed Forces, the federal government, and the Hamburg Senate are not providing more detailed information, citing military secrecy. All they have stated is that “trucks belonging to the German Armed Forces will be circulating in Hamburg” and that there will be helicopter flights.

The Bundeswehr announced that troop movements in the city “will mostly take place at night, as would be the case in an emergency.” Nevertheless, Hamburg residents should “expect aircraft noise and convoy movements in the city during the day.”

The Bundeswehr wants to conduct the exercise for “emergency situations” in a manner that is “as realistic as possible.”

Hamburg as a critical junction for the Eastern Front

During the maneuvers, Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) noted that in the event of war, the “supply logistics” for NATO troops on the Eastern Front could “largely suppress” civilian life in Hamburg.

This is because the city and its port will have to organize the transport of up to 200,000 vehicles to the front, among other things. The Red Storm Bravo exercise scenario therefore envisions a “large-scale deployment of troops” by NATO countries to Russia’s western border.

This will be carried out as a “preventive” measure, meaning without a prior attack by Russia on NATO territory.

Hamburg Regional Commander Kurt Leonards explains that in this year’s Red Storm Bravo exercise, multinational “soldiers will arrive at the port of Hamburg with their equipment and weapon systems and will be transported further east from there by road and rail.”

In addition to Bundeswehr units and institutions in Hamburg such as the Command and Staff College, the University, and the Bundeswehr hospital, a military police regiment and units from Munster and Fassberg are also participating in the exercise.

The federal government refuses to provide information not only about the exact locations of the exercise but also about which weapon systems and other military equipment are involved, which civilian and state actors are participating, and whether other NATO countries are also taking part.

Militarization of civil society

The exercises focus on civil-military cooperation, particularly the joint actions of the Bundeswehr with the fire department, the Federal Technical Relief Agency, and the police, but also with Hamburg authorities (including the Employment Agency) and civilian companies.

It is explicitly stated that civilian authorities and companies are “an integral part of the exercise.” The central interface between military and civilian actors is highlighted as the Bundeswehr’s Landeskommando (state command).

“The main goal of the exercise is the development of internal networks so that even in peacetime, we know who to call when the situation becomes serious,” says Lieutenant Colonel Jörn Plischke, chief of staff of the Hamburg Landeskommando. According to Commander Leonards, the aim is to develop a “common language.”

According to the city of Hamburg, Airbus, Blohm + Voss, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), and the Ministry of the Interior and Sport are among the participants in the maneuver.

According to the Bundeswehr, local radio stations will broadcast traffic reports about convoy movements and information about flight operations. The local press has already informed city residents how to behave in traffic when they encounter a military convoy.

The police and the Bundeswehr are also explicitly training to “deal with civilian protests” as part of Red Storm Bravo. The Bundeswehr is also currently rehearsing civil-military cooperation in the eastward advance during the large-scale Quadriga maneuver.

Compulsory labor law also being rehearsed

As part of Red Storm Bravo, the Employment Agency is, for the first time according to the Bundeswehr, testing the implementation of the 1968 Job Security Act (ASG).

The law makes it possible for the government to impose “compulsory employment” and “restrictions on the termination of employment relationships” after declaring a state of tension or defense.

For example, if a nurse wants to resign during a state of tension, the Employment Agency can conduct a review based on the ASG to “prevent” the resignation.

According to NDR, 75 employees of the Hamburg Employment Agency are rehearsing the application of the law during Red Storm Bravo.

The German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (GIDS), the think tank of the German Armed Forces Command and Staff College, called for an expansion of the federal government’s powers under the ASG last year.

Currently, the law only permits compulsory employment for soldiers and only for jobs in specific sectors. GIDS advocates for the removal of both restrictions or an expansion of the scope of what is permitted.

Protests against the exercise

Numerous protests against Red Storm Bravo have been announced in Hamburg.

For days, activists have been holding a vigil against the war exercise at the “Kriegsklotz” monument, which was erected during the German fascist era. The “Kein NATO-Hafen” (No NATO Port) alliance is calling for a large demonstration at the main train station this Saturday at 1:00 PM.

Organizers expect 10,000 people to attend. According to the Federal Ministry of Defence, the German Armed Forces are closely monitoring the protests.