Germany’s defence Ministry has notified citizens about potential disruptions in the country’s transit system, as Berlin implements NATO guidance for quickly moving troops to reinforce allies.
The announcement on Thursday followed an overnight push by Russian forces on several into Ukraine.
The ministry told Germans to be prepared for movements by the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, through “public space.” In addition, there could be transit restrictions because transport capacities on land, at sea and in the air must be set aside for NATO activation plans, according to the announcement.
The triggering of “national alarm measures,” as German defence officials called them, flows from a NATO catalogue of steps, dubbed “crisis response measures,” activated by the alliance early Thursday. Those, in turn, are part of the NATO Crisis Response System, which addresses everything from conflict monitoring to mutual-defence operations under Article 5.
According to the ministry, all levels of the Bundeswehr are tasked to make preparations for switching to a quick-reaction posture in case of a NATO Response Force deployment. Germany has pledged a contingent of almost 14,000 troops in that event.
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