The federal government is currently developing emergency plans for scenarios where individual states block the deployment of NATO troops. Multiple departments are examining how military mobility can be guaranteed even if a state government chooses not to cooperate, a matter reported by both The World and The Telegraph. This strategic focus is apparently linked to fears over potential election victories for the populist AfD party in eastern Germany.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a CDU Member of the Bundestag and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, suggested that the Kremlin is attempting to exploit existing political differences within Germany to make the nation as unpredictable as possible in its function as a logistical hub for NATO. To counter this threat, officials within the Federal Ministry of the Interior are preparing countermeasures against potentially disruptive state governments.
Kiesewetter further detailed plans focused on securing the operational capacity of intelligence services and outlining how neighboring states could take over duties protecting critical infrastructure and key personnel in a crisis.
Tobias Krull, the deputy chairman of the Interior Committee in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt (CDU), confirmed these ongoing preparations. He stated that measures are being discussed at the federal level for specific institutions, detailing how certain actions could be carried out “bypassing” a state government should the AfD form a majority-only administration.
According to Krull, while an AfD-led state government might not be able to halt the implementation of Operation Plan Germany, it could significantly “slow down” the process. This potential friction point also applies to the protection of civilian infrastructure. Krull identified the provision of state police forces, the transfer of instructions, and the execution of operational plans as possible areas where delays could occur.
A source familiar with defense planning from a Western nation suggested that Putin’s objective might not be the outright military defeat of NATO, as that would be an immensely difficult undertaking. Instead, the source posited, “if he succeeds in finding and deepening political fault lines within the alliance, that is the fastest way to shatter the alliance.” From Moscow’s perspective, utilizing Kremlin-friendly politicians to delay the rapid deployment of NATO troops could be “very effective.”
