Germany debates declaring a ‘state of tension’ amid mobilization fears

Major German media organizations are fueling the debate on declaring a “state of tension,” a precursor to a “state of defense,” and on mobilization.

On Wednesday, CDU foreign and military policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter attempted to legitimize the demand for declaring a “state of tension” in the Federal Republic for the first time on a widely watched program by public broadcaster ARD. Kiesewetter had also made statements supporting this issue at the end of 2024.

As the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) has clearly stated, the state of tension serves the purpose of “mobilization.” This situation entails significant restrictions for the entire society; for example, it includes the immediate implementation of compulsory military service for all men aged 18 and over, allows for the conscription of civilian personnel such as doctors to care for soldiers, and can also compel private companies to produce military supplies.

Concrete plans for such scenarios have long been in development, particularly in the healthcare sector. For instance, in this sector, there are plans to introduce a “reverse triage” system where lightly wounded military personnel are prioritized for hospital treatment over severely injured civilians.

A state between peace and war

The legal basis for the “state of tension” proposed by the CDU politician is Article 80a of the Basic Law.

This article specifies that the decision will be made by the Bundestag and requires a “two-thirds majority of the votes.”

However, the content of a “state of tension” is not precisely defined. It is generally described as “a preliminary stage for transitioning to a state of defense,” declared when the Federal Republic of Germany faces a “threatening situation” that could escalate into war.

The semi-official Federal Agency for Civic Education states, “In any case, the probability of a difficult foreign policy situation escalating into an armed attack must be sufficiently high.”

Germany, which regularly accuses Russia of “hybrid warfare,” could also decide in the Bundestag to “declare a state of tension in response to hybrid threats.”

Preparation for mobilization

The declaration of a state of tension would have significant practical consequences. According to a spokesperson for the Bundeswehr Operations Command, it serves the “purpose of mobilization.”

For example, compulsory military service for all men aged 18 and over would be immediately reinstated, and indefinite military service would be permitted.

The Bundeswehr’s domestic deployment options would also be significantly expanded; military personnel could be assigned to tasks such as protecting civilian objects or regulating traffic.

Above all, however, security laws applicable to the workforce and the economy will come into effect. Under these laws, civilian employees can be conscripted for military tasks; medical personnel, from doctors to nurses, can be assigned to military hospitals; drivers can be tasked with transporting fuel for the Bundeswehr; and private individuals can be obliged to provide accommodation for soldiers.

The assignment of medical personnel to work for the army was the subject of a recent military exercise in Hamburg.

Furthermore, authorities could compel private companies to produce any goods needed by the Bundeswehr.

Calls for a state of emergency grow louder in Berlin

The declaration of a state of emergency was first raised by CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter in December of last year.

At the end of September, citing unexplained drone flights over German airports, he explicitly demanded it, stating that “declaring a state of emergency is the most sensible solution.”

Kiesewetter reiterated this view on Wednesday on the public broadcaster ARD. In September, he had explained that the advantages of declaring a state of emergency were not only that “critical infrastructure would be protected by the Bundeswehr,” but also that “the chain of command could be simplified” and unspecified “options could be used efficiently.”

Since then, these discussions have been growing in prominent German media. Regardless of whether the declaration of a state of tension is supported, this situation further normalizes the idea that Germany is on the brink of war and that the public must be prepared for significant restrictions on their rights.

The economy and society to be placed at the service of the military

Plans for the use of civilian hospitals in a state of war are advancing rapidly. Military strategists are convinced that the capacity of military hospitals is insufficient to treat the high number of casualties, often estimated to be around a thousand per day.

In Berlin, the Senate Administration, in collaboration with the German Armed Forces, the Berlin Hospital Association, and twelve clinics, has prepared a working paper outlining the procedures hospital staff should follow in a state of war.

According to the Association of Democratic Doctors (vdää), these procedures include “reverse triage.” In this procedure, lightly wounded military personnel would be treated with priority, even over severely injured civilians, in order to “get soldiers ready for duty again as quickly as possible.”

This would be followed by an “open discussion” on “leaving hopeless cases to die,” a clear transition from “individual medicine to disaster medicine,” and finally, the transfer of extensive powers in hospitals to authorities and the military.

War as a justification for hospital investment

In preparation for war, the German Hospitals Association published a study outlining the “investment requirements” to create war-resistant “resilience in German hospitals.”

The study’s authors believe it is necessary to have emergency generators and extensive drinking water reserves, procure decontamination facilities, expand radio and satellite communications for potential emergencies, and, in the event of an attack on hospitals, not only build additional above-ground infrastructure and intensify property protection measures but also construct “alternative treatment rooms” underground.

The study also mentions “underground garages” and “basement floors.”

It is stated that the necessary funds for financing, estimated at just under 15 billion euros, should be taken from the German government’s special modernization fund.

As the vdää notes, these costly plans are being made despite the fact that the costs of civilian hospitals in Germany have been described as “too expensive” for years, and “serious cuts” are being demanded as part of the current hospital reform.