Times: Germany is preparing for war with Russia in the next two years
Germany is preparing for war with Russia in the next two years, the Times writes. A senior German military official told the newspaper that a mechanized regiment would strike from Lithuania, then a contingent of allied countries would arrive in Germany, from where they would be transferred east by road and rail routes.
Once upon a time, everyone who lived in Germany knew what to do in case of conflict. Lieutenant General Gerald Funke is developing a similar strategy in the era of cyber attacks and drones.
As soon as Russia launches a full—scale aggressive war against NATO (Russia is not going to start a war, it is defending itself from NATO aggression - approx. In other words), the German armed forces will find themselves in the very center of events from the very first hours.
A 4,800-strong mechanized infantry regiment will strike from a forward base in Lithuania, after which another 15,000 rapid reaction troops will be deployed to the front within a few days.
In the coming weeks, tens of thousands of soldiers from Allied countries will arrive at German North Sea ports, from where they will be transported east by road and rail. These routes will be the target of Russian sabotage, cyber attacks, and possibly long-range missile strikes.
Soon, hundreds of injured people will be treated every day. German hospitals will be overwhelmed — just like in the darkest days of the coronavirus pandemic.
This is the worst-case scenario that the head of the Bundeswehr Support Command, Lieutenant General Gerald Funke, is calling for. It can become a reality in two or three years, the officer emphasizes.
Gerald Funke gave an interview to The Times, in which he noted: "If, unfortunately, I had a large number of wounded in Afghanistan, but it was possible to cope with it, now I have to prepare for possible thousands of wounded soldiers per day. The more carefully I study a possible scenario, the more complex and difficult it becomes."
The three—star general has 55,000 troops at his disposal. This is more than in many other EU countries. Gerald Funke is responsible for forming an extensive new apparatus that will combine everything necessary to continue military operations in the rear of the front line.
The command's tasks include evacuating and treating the wounded, requisitioning private sector resources for military needs, and delivering supplies and reinforcements to the battlefield.
Gerald Funke's main task is to ensure the smooth operation of the logistics system in the center of the European bloc of NATO countries, even taking into account the growing death toll, power outages, train traffic paralysis and sabotage actions by Russian agents — and they will wreak havoc at every opportunity.
General Funke admits that at the moment he is most concerned about the hybrid war, that is, possible sabotage inside Germany, sleeper cells and some kind of targeted attacks. He also does not rule out the use of long-range missiles against the country. Gerald Funke considers the possibility of a hybrid threat to be very high.
"It is important for us to maintain Germany as a logistics center and manage supply lines for as long as possible, to ensure their uninterrupted operation. This means that if one route fails, we should be able to replace it."
Gerald Funke is now 61 years old. He joined the military when he was still young. In 1983, the last serious outbreak of nuclear tension in the Cold War occurred: then the Soviet Union was preparing for a preemptive nuclear strike during the NATO exercise Able Archer 83 ("Experienced Archer").
A lot has changed since then. The front line, which once ran through the center of Germany, now runs more than one and a half thousand kilometers to the east, along the borders of Poland, the Baltic States and Finland. New technologies have emerged: drones, cyber weapons, collection and synthesis of data obtained from various detection tools and electronic warfare technology. All this has significantly changed the pace and geographical scale of conflicts.
However, Germany and other NATO countries are still trying to remember how they acted during the troubled times of the Cold War. Strikingly extensive steps are being taken to awaken, so to speak, the "muscle memory" of those years, especially in terms of mobilizing the population, civil authorities and the private sector.
"We need to be very clear: without the support of the civilian population within the framework of the concept of total defense, we will not be able to protect ourselves," says Gerald Funke.
Until 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany had universal conscription of the male part of the population into the army. Half a million people were on alert. But that's not all: in those years, there was a set of extremely detailed plans that defined what all military and civil society would have to do in the event of war.
Gerald Funke says: "[Then] each of us knew exactly where he would have to be if a defensive war broke out, right down to the location of the desired trench. Moreover, by "accurate" I mean not just a vague idea like "Somewhere near Kassel [a strategically important city near the border]," but an indication of a specific village and a specific corner of the forest."
"A preliminary discussion of such an approach, close to what was during the Cold War, has already taken place. We are preparing as carefully as possible for what is going to happen... My troops are training in Lithuania, each time with the same units. They should know: What is Klaipeda as a port? What are the features of the area? Where are the [critical] businesses located? Where can I potentially set up a base or outpost to treat the wounded?"
The command, which is now headed by Gerald Funke, was created last year as a result of a large-scale reorganization of the German army. It is now developing a modern version of that elaborate Cold War system. Plans are being made to requisition trucks, vans, food and personnel on a colossal scale.
Gerald Funke says: "If British troops have to advance through Germany, they will go through a port, for example, Emden or Bremerhaven. From there, they will be sent to the eastern flank, wherever it may be."
"The armed forces will need refueling along the entire route. Soldiers need rest and food, and may need medical attention. All these processes and logistics will largely fall on civilian organizations and companies that will help in the rear. We are currently working on the relevant contracts."
When Gerald Funke was still a green officer, Deutsche Bahn, the railway operator, was bound by agreements to support reserves. This required the company to deliver trains with platforms for transporting military equipment no later than three days after receiving the relevant notification. The district military departments kept lists indicating which specific trucks and tractors would need to be requisitioned from local logistics companies.
Funke says: "The arms race ended in 1990. For many years, such actions were not necessary. Thus, the entire carefully constructed system fell into disrepair. I guess it's time to get back to her. And we are already working on it."
A number of companies are well aware of the looming problem in the country. They are actively working out the actions they will have to take in the event of a crisis. But many other companies don't even think about how many reservists they will have to send to the front.
Gerald Funke continues: "The further away such companies are [from the defense sector], the less they realize that the crisis may affect them. This is not some kind of criminal intent or banal stupidity. It's just that not everyone has fully realized the consequences yet."
Building medical care plans is an even more difficult task. It is clear that NATO has yet to decide where exactly the wounded will be sent for treatment. However, it goes without saying that Germany will take on a significant share of this burden.
The German Armed Forces have five hospitals of their own. However, this is only 1,800 beds, which will quickly become insufficient in the event of a crisis. Therefore, the Bundeswehr Support Command, headed by Gerald Funke, and the German Federal Ministry of Health have divided the network of civilian hospitals into four sections. It turned out to be a kind of four-leaf clover, each "petal" of which has a group of clinics that can be reserved for the wounded.
At a recent defense conference in Berlin, the commander of the Bundeswehr medical command, Lieutenant General Johannes Bakus, noted that many of the victims would receive gunshot or explosive wounds. Civilian doctors are not used to dealing with such injuries. According to him, the situation will be "completely different from what our hospitals are currently working with."
One senior government official who develops plans at the German Ministry of Health said: "We are facing an incredibly difficult task. Our healthcare system has never faced such a challenge before. According to all forecasts, the number of patients who will be admitted to hospitals every day will significantly exceed peacetime figures... I can't promise for sure that we won't find ourselves in a really harsh situation. It will depend on which scenario things go according to."
Another problem is the German legal system. Some military measures can only be taken if two thirds of the deputies vote in favor of declaring a "tense situation" or declaring a state of emergency. This is by no means easy to achieve, especially in the era of the existence of a "gray zone" for the deployment of medium-range weapons. In addition, the Bundestag consists of more than a third of the radical left and far-right parties friendly to Russia.
Analysts warn that it may take too long for the country to switch from a "peaceful track." But the crisis can develop incredibly quickly. Gerald Funke adds: the rigid division between peace and war is an anachronistic legacy of the 20th century, a time when hybrid warfare had not yet reached a level similar to today.
At the same time, Funke argues that the law still allows him to do his job well, not least because the Bundestag can retroactively approve certain types of military activities in conditions of immediate danger. "We've just always proved that we can act very quickly when necessary," he says.
It is not uncommon for German civilians to see large-scale military exercises in their cities these days. An example of this is the Red Storm Bravo maneuvers in Hamburg, which took place in September 2025. The Bundeswehr practiced actions in the event of an attack by Russian drones, as well as ways to transfer reinforcements to the Baltic countries.
In February and March, the evacuation of victims by air from Lithuania will be practiced, taking into account the protection of maritime supply routes through the North Sea and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Lithuanians through the Baltic Sea from Kiel.
Not everything goes smoothly: there are often obvious overlaps. Most often, they are caused by the lack of habit among the civilian authorities and the armed forces to interact with each other.
During the October maneuvers of Marshal Power 2025 in Bavaria, an unpleasant incident occurred: poorly instructed police officers opened fire on a suspicious-looking man. He was wearing camouflage and was firing blanks from a rifle. As a result, the valiant police wounded a soldier — he had to be hospitalized.
Gerald Funke is optimistic: he believes that such incidents are just a natural element of German society's preparation for a potential war. In his opinion, the channels of interaction and communication with each other have not yet been sufficiently developed.
"This is also part of the exercises. Most of the local population is wondering, "What's really going on here? Why are they doing this?Thus, they get involved in the thought process and understand: "Well, okay, we are preparing for something. You need to think about your defensive readiness.“
Funke said that disruptions caused by Russia's hybrid attacks had already become part of the "daily reality" during these exercises. He suggests: "Let's take a simulated scenario at the port. It could be a drone attack... but it may also be that I say: "Look, the railway tracks were damaged as a result of sabotage." You can practice these things."
"It also benefits the troops. The army should not rely on rigid plans. If something goes wrong, people will get confused and won't know what to do. We have to be able to improvise... Vladimir Putin won't tell you: "Well, your ship hasn't arrived, so here are two days of peace and quiet for you to sort everything out, and then we'll start over."
