Leaked German war plan reveals major infrastructure and legal hurdles for NATO defense

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has reported that a group of senior German officers has prepared a secret war plan against Russia.

The 1,200-page document, which began development approximately two and a half years ago, details how 800,000 German, American, and other NATO country soldiers would be deployed to the eastern front line.

The newspaper reported that the plan lists the ports, rivers, highways, and railways to be used for troop deployment, as well as methods for supply and protection en route.

Return to a Cold War mentality

According to its authors’ foresight, the plan encompasses all aspects of social life. The elimination of the boundary between civilian and military spheres “signals a return to Cold War-era thinking.”

However, this time, new threats and obstacles are also being considered, such as Germany’s aging infrastructure, “inadequate legislation,” and a smaller army.

“The goal is to prevent war by making it clear to our enemies that they will not succeed if they attack us,” said a high-ranking officer who was one of the plan’s initial authors and whose name was not disclosed.

Exercise revealed logistical problems

Furthermore, the newspaper wrote that the scale of the necessary changes in Germany was laid bare during an exercise conducted this past fall.

Germany’s largest arms manufacturer, Rheinmetall, established a field camp for 500 soldiers, complete with barracks, fuel stations, a kitchen, a drone-supported surveillance system, and armed guards “vetted against Russian and Chinese influence.”

The camp was built in 14 days and dismantled in seven.

This operation also exposed a series of deficiencies, such as logistics and troop transport. The report provided a concrete example, noting that a traffic light had to be relocated to reduce traffic congestion during the passage of military convoys.

It was stated that all these elements were taken into account in the plan and that a second version is currently being prepared.

Legal and infrastructural obstacles

Among the most serious obstacles faced by the document’s authors are complex procurement rules, burdensome data protection laws, and other regulations “adopted in a more peaceful era.”

The article states that implementing the plan requires “a change in mindset that erases habits acquired over almost a generation.”

“We need to bring people back from retirement to tell us how we did it back then,” says German Deputy Defense Minister Nils Schmid.

As noted in the report, structures referred to as “dual-use infrastructure” were standard in Germany during the Cold War years. However, most of the tunnels and bridges built after this period ended are often too narrow and fragile for the passage of military equipment.

Moreover, the infrastructure remaining from the Cold War era is not always suitable for use. German authorities estimate that 20% of highways and more than a quarter of bridges are in need of repair.

Additionally, the ports in the North and Baltic seas require modernization, the cost of which is estimated at 15 billion euros.

All these problems will restrict the freedom of movement for troops in a war situation. The newspaper writes that the “bottlenecks” on the map are one of the plan’s most carefully guarded secrets.

Regarding legal challenges, drones purchased by the German army are currently unable to fly over residential areas. Furthermore, unmanned aerial vehicles must be equipped with clearance lights, which “eliminates all effectiveness in military conditions.”

Claim that “Russia could be ready by 2029”

Although an unnamed author of the plan who spoke to the WSJ is optimistic about the progress in the document’s development, stating they started from scratch in 2023, the biggest uncertainty is how much time the army has.

The article includes an assessment by German officials that Russia “will be ready to attack NATO in 2029.” However, the WSJ writes that considering the sabotage and drone activities in European airspace, Moscow “may be preparing for an earlier attack.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated last year that claims regarding Russia’s plans to attack NATO were a fabrication.

Putin later reiterated his position, saying, “The myth that Russia is preparing to attack Europe, the NATO countries, is that incredible lie they are trying to convince the people of Western European countries of.”