The German government is drawing up contingency plans in the event that individual federal states obstruct the deployment of NATO troops. According to information from WELT and The Telegraph, several government departments are examining how military mobility can be ensured even if a state government refuses to cooperate.
This is against the backdrop of the AfD’s expected electoral successes in eastern Germany and concerns that Germany’s role as the alliance’s logistical hub could be jeopardised in an emergency, as an AfD-controlled state government could delay the movement of troops, weapons and vehicles needed to defend NATO territory and the eastern flank.
In the event of a Russian attack on NATO’s eastern flank, Germany would be the alliance’s central logistical hub. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers from other NATO countries, along with heavy equipment and weapons, would be deployed via Germany. Western politicians and military officials fear that this is precisely where Russian President Vladimir Putin might intervene to paralyse NATO by exploiting political differences.
For Putin, “it may not even be the aim to defeat NATO militarily”, as this would be a difficult undertaking, said a source from a Western country familiar with defence planning. “But if he succeeds in identifying and deepening political divisions within the alliance, then that is the quickest way to break up the alliance,” the source said.
From Moscow’s perspective, it could be “very effective” to make use of Kremlin-friendly politicians to delay the rapid deployment of NATO troops.