BERLIN Jan. 11 (DPA/EP) –
The German Army will create a new ground unit dedicated to protecting critical infrastructure and key military installations throughout the country, a military spokesperson announced this Saturday.
The new national defense division will be made up of reservists and active soldiers under a unified command and will be partially active.
The unit is expected to be formed in mid-March and will have around 6,000 troops within a few months before being expanded further.
Last year, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius ordered a reorganization to strengthen the Bundeswehr’s defense capabilities with a unified operational command.
Pistorius referred to the changing security situation and the need to be able to survive militarily in a defensive war.
The Bundeswehr currently has more than 260,000 troops, including civilian personnel, and is made up of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as medical services and other support units.
As part of the new structure, the national defense forces will come under the command of the Army starting April 1.
The Army currently has three divisions, each with approximately 20,000 troops. The addition of a fourth large unit dedicated to national defense represents a significant improvement in the capabilities of the Bundeswehr.
The spokesperson explained that the national defense unit will be in charge of protecting ports, railway facilities and freight transshipment centers, as well as oil pipelines, roads for the deployment of troops, bridges, transportation centers and digital infrastructure.
It will also safeguard Germany’s role as the operational base and nerve center of the NATO military alliance, protecting both national and bloc assets in times of crisis or conflict.
In peacetime, the division can also provide administrative assistance in the event of serious accidents, terrorist situations or pandemics.
The plans are based on the assumption that existing Army divisions could be deployed to NATO’s external borders under alliance command as a deterrent or to defend against a potential aggressor.
For example, this could be linked to partners Poland, Lithuania or Estonia, leaving internal defense forces available for deployment in Germany.
Military planners consider a number of national defense troops in at least five figures necessary and also rely on the reintroduction of military service initiated last year by Pistorius.
The move was put on hold after the collapse of the coalition government in November, but preparations are still continuing.
The conservative CDU/CSU alliance, which is currently leading the polls ahead of parliamentary elections in February, has declared that it wants to go beyond the military service model already proposed by Pistorius.