Media: Germany enlists major logistics firms for NATO crisis deployments

The Bundeswehr (Germany's Armed Forces) contacted major logistics firms, including Deutsche Bahn, Lufthansa, and Rheinmetall, for support in deploying soldiers and military equipment to NATO's eastern border in a crisis.

This was reported by Handelsblatt, citing sources familiar with the negotiations.

The talks, which could also involve Lufthansa providing basic training for fighter pilots, are part of Germany's efforts to fulfil its role as NATO's logistical hub.

The challenge lies in quickly deploying tens of thousands of soldiers and large amounts of equipment in an emergency, a task that exceeds the Bundeswehr's capacities.

With the adoption of the National Security Strategy 2023, Germany is committed to supporting tens of thousands of allied troops in the event of a conflict. In this context, the reliance on civilian contractors is particularly high: "The Bundeswehr almost exclusively relies on civilian service providers for the logistical transport of military goods and materials outside conflict zones," confirmed the Bundeswehr's Operational Command.

This necessity arises from structural deficiencies in Germany's infrastructure and the increased demands from NATO's strategic concept known as the "New Force Model."

By Aghakazim Guliyev