Focused on domestic defence, Germany works on expanded civilian shelter proposal

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BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany is currently working on a proposal to expand the number of shelters available for civilians by looking at public and private facilities that could be converted if necessary, according to the German interior ministry.

Basements, underground car parks and subway stations could be converted into shelters, with a special app detailing where the closest bunker is, said the ministry spokesperson on Monday.

Bild newspaper, which reported on the so-called “bunker plan” earlier on Monday, said the concept was being developed in response to the worsening international threat situation.

However, the spokesperson did not mention the current situation and also did not say when the concept would be ready.

Civil protection organizations in Germany have been calling for a faster expansion of shelters, which includes the construction of structures in which up to 5,000 people are to be accommodated in a short space of time.

There are currently 579 public shelters set aside for the purpose of civil protection with capacity of around 480,000.

Germany has been increasingly focused on defence on its own soil since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 raised the spectre of a wider escalation on the European continent.

In a sign of how urgent the need for preparations is, a top NATO military official on Monday urged businesses to prepare for a wartime scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly, in order to be less vulnerable to blackmail from countries such as Russia and China.

Under Operation Plan Germany, which German media reported on earlier this month, the federal and state governments, army, security authorities and emergency services are coordinating how they could defend the country in the event of a conflict.

As part of the plan, which is confidential, state army representatives are regularly invited to inform businesses about what general points they should consider in their preparations, a German defence ministry spokesperson said last week.