Germany’s interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, is moving ahead with plans to strengthen the country’s civil defense and emergency response capabilities. After announcing the initiative in September, the government is due to approve a concrete package at its next cabinet meeting. The plan sets aside €10 billion to be spent by 2029.
The funding will cover a range of measures, including the purchase of about 1,000 specialist vehicles and upgrades to infrastructure, personnel and technology. Roughly one third of the money is earmarked to modernize facilities belonging to the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) and to boost its operational capacity. The THW currently operates with a budget of around €500 million, about 2,200 employees and some 88,000 volunteers. It has not been confirmed whether other relief organizations such as the Red Cross will receive government support under the new package.
Officials say the push responds to a growing range of threats, including so-called hybrid attacks. As part of the plans, the existing Medical Task Force (MTF) will be expanded and more than 50 sites around the country will be readied to cope with sudden mass-casualty incidents. Many of these ideas have existed in various forms for years but are being revived and scaled up in light of recent events.
Germany’s political focus on civil protection intensified after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and is also shaped by recent domestic disasters. The 2021 Ahr Valley floods exposed weaknesses in early warning systems and emergency preparedness, and revealed gaps in investment across infrastructure and shelter provision.
A particularly visible shortfall is fallout shelter capacity. There are roughly 600 available bunkers in Germany, many in poor condition. Together they provide room for about 478,000 people — roughly 0.56% of a population of about 84 million. The German Association of Towns and Municipalities, representing some 14,000 local authorities, argued in 2024 that around €10 billion would be needed simply to refurbish those bunkers.
The federal government also provides guidance for citizens. A handbook titled Planning Ahead for Crises and Disasters advises households to be self-sufficient for up to 10 days, stocking water, food, medicines and basic supplies. That brochure is available in German and eight other widely spoken languages in the country: Arabic, English, French, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian.
Dobrindt has proposed further measures to raise awareness and preparedness, including introducing an annual extended lesson on war and crisis management for older school pupils. The German Teachers’ Association supported the idea, saying the subject is already present in classrooms and affects young people’s attitudes — including questions about military service and volunteering for the Bundeswehr. The interior minister also wants closer links between civil protection and military defense and plans to create a new staff unit to coordinate those efforts.
The proposals have drawn criticism from the Left Party, which says civil protection must prioritise practical measures to protect people from heatwaves, cold snaps, floods, wildfires, storms and similar disasters. Jan Köstering, the party’s spokesperson on civil defense and emergency management, argued the current plan places too much emphasis on security and defense scenarios rather than on a broad, modern civil protection system.
This article was translated from German.