The Information on German Foreign Policy or [German-Foreign-Policy.com reported](https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/news/detail/10129 on Sept. 25 about war simulation exercises, codenamed Red Storm Bravo, focusing on the role of Hamburg, Germany’s largest seaport, in a potential conflict with Russia. What follows are two revealing excerpts from the lengthy article:
“With the Red Storm Bravo military exercise beginning today [Sept. 25], the German Armed Forces are conducting a war game not only in the port for the first time, but also on a large scale in several districts of the northern German metropolis of Hamburg. According to the commander in charge of the Hamburg Regional Command, the scenario involves NATO troops arriving at the port of Hamburg with their equipment and weapon systems and being transported from there by road and rail towards the east. Military convoys and helicopters are to cross or fly over city districts during the day, but especially at night; ‘loud noises’ and ‘smoke development’ are to be expected, according to the statement. Authorities and civilian companies, including Airbus and Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), are closely involved. The Hamburg Employment Agency is testing the application of a law from 1968 that makes it possible to compel civilians to perform certain tasks, i.e., to enforce compulsory labor. Observers warn that Hamburg’s importance as a transshipment point for military transports makes the city an important target in the event of war. Protests against the maneuvers have been announced.…
“In the event of war, according to [media network] Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) reporting on the maneuvers, ‘supply logistics’ for NATO troops on the eastern front could ‘significantly disrupt’ civilian life in Hamburg. The reason for this is that the city and its port would have to organize ‘the transport of up to 200,000 vehicles’ to the front, among other things. The Red Storm Bravo exercise scenario therefore assumes ‘large troop deployments’ by NATO countries towards Russia’s western border—as a ‘preventive’ measure, i.e., without a prior Russian attack on NATO territory. This year’s Red Storm Bravo exercise involves multinational ‘troops arriving at the port of Hamburg with their equipment and weapon systems and being transported from there by road and rail further east,’ explains Kurt Leonards, the commander in charge of the Hamburg Regional Command….
“The Federal government is refusing to provide information not only about the exact locations of the exercise, but also about which weapon systems and other military equipment are part of the maneuver.”
