Germany as a military logistics hub: the NATO New Force Model: Massive troops as a new reality
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Published on: June 24, 2025 / update from: June 24, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
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Germany as a military logistics hub: the strategic cooperation between the Bundeswehr and the private sector
Germany in the center of NATO logistics
The security policy landscape of Europe has changed fundamentally since the Russian attack war on Ukraine. Germany is at the center of an unprecedented military realignment that makes the country one of the most important logistical turntables of NATO. This role did not arise by chance, but results from Germany's geographical location in the heart of Europe and its developed infrastructure.
The Bundeswehr is currently leading intensive negotiations with large logistics companies such as Deutsche Bahn, Lufthansa and Rheinmetall, in order to ensure that NATO troops and military material are released quickly and efficiently to the eastern flank of the alliance. These collaborations are not only a military necessity, but also reflect the fundamental dependence on modern armed forces on civilian infrastructure and private sector.
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The national security strategy 2023: Germany's new role
With the adoption of the first national security strategy in June 2023, the Federal Government comprehensively defined for the first time which role Germany should take in European security architecture. The document entitled “Defensible. Resilient. Sustainable. Integrated Security for Germany” marks a paradigm shift in German security policy.
The strategy particularly emphasizes Germany's function as a logistical hub for NATO. This role results from several factors: Germany borders on nine countries that are seven NATO members and has one of the densest traffic infrastructures in Europe. With 13,000 kilometers of motorway and 38,400 rail kilometers as well as important waterways such as the Rhine and Danube, Germany forms the backbone for military transports between Western and Eastern Europe.
The new strategy follows the concept of “integrated security”, which connects all policy areas and considers cooperation between state and private actors essential for national security. This approach reflects the knowledge that modern security policy goes far beyond classic military aspects and that the entire society has to include.
The NATO New Force Model: Massive troops as a new reality
The strategic realignment of NATO after the Russian attack on Ukraine has led to a fundamental change in the alliance strategy. The new NATO Force Model stipulates that up to 800,000 soldiers from the NATO alliance partner can be mobilized within 180 days. These numbers illustrate the enormous logistical challenges in front of which Germany is facing.
The model is divided into three phases: In the first phase, 100,000 soldiers should be laid within ten days, in the second phase there are another 200,000, and in the third phase, another 500,000 soldiers are to be postponed between 30 and 180. Germany has undertaken to provide up to 35,000 forces, 85 aircraft and 20 warships for this model.
This massive increase in the NATO standby from originally 40,000 to potentially 800,000 soldiers presents the previous logistical capacities with completely new challenges. While only about 30 percent of the alliance troops were comprehensively reliable at weddings of the Afghanistan mission and only six percent could be supplied at any time, significantly larger contingents must now be transported and supplied within a very short time.
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The dependence of the Bundeswehr on civilian logistics service providers
The modern Bundeswehr depends to an extent on civil logistics service providers, which is hardly known in public. The Bundeswehr's operational management command confirms that the armed forces in logistical transports of military goods and material outside of crisis areas fall almost exclusively on civilian service providers. This dependence in sea and air transport is particularly dramatic for scattered and overwhelming material, where it is 100 percent.
This situation is not the result of a conscious decision, but the result of decades of savings and structural changes in the Bundeswehr. After the end of the Cold War, the Bundeswehr was continuously reduced and geared towards international crisis management operations, in which large amounts of heavy material were rarely needed.
The Bundeswehr's logistics command, which is stationed in Erfurt and comprises around 17,000 civilian and military employees, coordinates the logistical processes, but is dependent on external service providers for practical implementation. This dependency extends from material management to maintenance to transport.
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Concrete cooperation: Deutsche Bahn, Lufthansa and Rheinmetall
Deutsche Bahn: Backbone of Land Transport
Deutsche Bahn plays a central role in the planning of the Bundeswehr for the emergency. The German rail network is of crucial importance for the transport of severe military equipment, especially for tanks and other large devices that cannot be transported on normal roads due to their dimensions and weight.
The railway has special transport capacities for heavy load transports and has experience in dealing with military transports. However, the rail infrastructure in Germany is partly in a questionable condition: According to the DB network, 23 percent of German rails are in poor condition, and many routes are not suitable for heavy transports. Nevertheless, the railway remains indispensable for large military transportation because it offers capacity that cannot do any road or air transport.
Lufthansa: More than just civil air traffic
Lufthansa and its subsidiary Lufthansa Technik have had a close partnership with the Bundeswehr for over 60 years. This cooperation not only includes the maintenance of the German government fleet, but also complex military projects such as the care of military tank aircraft.
The conversations between the Bundeswehr and Lufthansa include several areas: On the one hand, it is about transport capacities for troops and material, on the other hand, the basic training of fighter jet pilots is also discussed by Lufthansa. Lufthansa Technik is already integrated into various armaments projects, including the Boeing P-8a Poseidon for the German Marine and the Pegasus monitoring system.
These collaborations show how close the boundaries between civil and military aviation have become. Lufthansa not only has transport capacities, but also technical know-how and maintenance capacities that are indispensable for the Bundeswehr.
Rheinmetall: Industrial competence for defense
Rheinmetall as one of the largest German armaments companies is a natural partner for the Bundeswehr. The company not only has production capacities for weapon systems and ammunition, but also logistical competence and transport capacities.
Cooperation with Rheinmetall goes beyond the mere procurement of armaments goods and also includes maintenance, maintenance and logistical services. The company's competence in the area of heavy transports and the handling of ammunition and dangerous goods is particularly important.
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Germany's current dilapidated traffic infrastructure endangers NATO liner function
Infrastructural challenges: Germany's dilapidated traffic routes
Despite its central location, Germany faces significant infrastructural problems that endanger its role as a logistical hub. The decades of underfunding of the transport infrastructure now takes revenge where military mobility is becoming more important again.
Street infrastructure: bridges at the limit
The condition of the German bridges is particularly problematic. In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, almost 1,000 bridges are so dilapidated that they are no longer allowed to drive by heavier trucks. This leads to enormous detours and delays in heavy transports. Modern combat tanks such as the Leopard 2 weigh over 60 tons and can no longer cross many bridges.
The problem is tightened by the fact that Germany must act as a transit country for military transports from west to east. During the Cold War, the transport routes were designed from north to south, today they have to serve East-West connections primarily. Many motorway sections, such as parts of the Berlin ring, are currently not suitable for severe military transports.
Rail infrastructure: capacity bottlenecks and renovation backlog
The German rail network suffers from similar problems as the road network. Many routes are outdated and not designed for the requirements of modern military transports. The situation for flat wagons for heavy transports, which are often not available, is particularly critical.
The German Society for Foreign Policy already called for a special fund of 30 billion euros in 2024 to finance the most urgent work on military -relevant routes. Without massive investments in the transport infrastructure, Germany will not be able to do justice to its role as a NATO hub.
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Host Nation Support: Germany's commitments in alliance
The support of foreign armed forces in Germany, the so -called Host Nation Support (HNS), is one of the most important alliance obligations in the Federal Republic. This task includes much more than the provision of transport routes and includes a wide range of services.
HNS includes the entire range of entry permits for military equipment, vehicles and weapons to questions of marching paths, accommodation and the supply of operating materials. Protection against interference and attacks is also one of the tasks. In an emergency, up to 800,000 soldiers from the NATO alliance partner must be transported by Germany with their weapons, vehicles and supply goods.
These complex tasks are coordinated by the command of dispute base in cooperation with civilian authorities, blue light organizations and commercial companies. Planning often begins months before the actual relocation when the organizers come with preliminary planning for command of dispute base.
The Joint Support and Enabling Command: NATO coordination from Ulm
The Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) plays a key role in NATO logistics in Ulm. This multinational command is responsible for enabling fast troops and material transports in Europe and coordinating the support services of the NATO forces.
The JSEC acts as a link between the three operational management commands of NATO-Joint Force Command Brunsum, Joint Force Command Naples and Joint Force Command Norfolk-and ensures that the military skills provided by NATO countries are available in time in the respective operations. If several nations want to use the same route through the European alliance area at the same time, the JSEC is prioritized and decided in the JSEC.
The Standing Joint Logistics Support Group (SJLSG), which is subordinate to the JSEC, ensures seamless relocation processes and coordinates the multinational logistical support services. This structure is particularly important because logistics in NATO is basically a national task, but it has to be coordinated multinational.
Civil-military cooperation: networking as a success factor
Civil-military cooperation (ZMZ) has become of central importance in the German security strategy. She coordinates the cooperation between the Bundeswehr and civilian actors- from authorities to non-governmental organizations- and ensures the exchange between military operators and the civilian environment in the event of crisis and war.
The ZMZ is particularly important for the perseverance of the Bundeswehr as a parliamentary army and enables the armed forces to support the civilian side if necessary and at the same time build on comprehensive civil support in the event of war. This networking is essential for the functioning of the logistical hub Germany.
Cooperation is carried out in many areas, especially in civil protection and in coping with crisis with blue light organizations as well as other state or non -state organizations. The Bundeswehr also works closely with science and civilian companies.
Capacity bottlenecks and security risks
The increasing dependence on civilian logistics service providers also brings risks. Capacity bottlenecks in the civilian economy can have a direct impact on military operational capacity. At the same time, new vulnerability arises from the networking of civil and military infrastructure.
The situation in the communication infrastructure in transport is particularly critical. Experts warn that no components from China should be used as this harbors security risks. The planned criticism law for the protection of critical infrastructure is intended to prescribe the certification of critical components.
The risk of sabotage files against the infrastructure has become real, as the explosions of the north stream pipelines showed. Germany must protect its critical infrastructure from such attacks, but at the same time ensure the flexibility and efficiency of the logistical systems.
International experiences and lessons
NATO has gained valuable experience with multinational logistics in recent years. Exercises such as “Swift Response” and “Safety Transport” have shown where the weaknesses are and how the cooperation between national and international partners can be improved.
The realization that modern military logistics without civil support does not work is particularly important. The Strategic Airlift International Solution (Salis) program, in which NATO countries jointly use large-scale transporters for strategic air transports, is an example of successful civil-military cooperation. Since 2019, Salis has been operated exclusively by the Ukrainian Antonov Airlines after the Russian Volga-Dneepr Airlines had left due to the crime crisis.
Financing and political challenges
The implementation of the ambitious plans for Germany's role as a logistical hub requires massive investments. NATO has decided on the largest upgrade program since the end of the Cold War at its summit and wants to increase the requirement for defense spending to 3.5 percent of gross domestic product.
In addition, 1.5 percent of GDP is to be invested in defense -relevant expenses such as infrastructure. These figures illustrate the enormous financial effort that is required to modernize military logistics.
The German Society for Foreign Policy has called for a special fund of 30 billion euros for the targeted renewal of military corridors. At the same time, regular inventories of the entire traffic infrastructure should be created in order to identify weaknesses at an early stage.
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Germany between claim and reality
Germany faces a historical challenge. The role as a logistical hub of NATO not only requires massive investments in the infrastructure, but also a fundamental realignment of the cooperation between the state and private sector. Talks with companies such as Deutsche Bahn, Lufthansa and Rheinmetall are only the beginning of a comprehensive transformation process.
The dependence on civilian logistics service providers is not a shortcoming, but a necessity of modern security policy. It is crucial that these dependencies are made transparent and the partnerships are placed on a solid legal and financial basis. At the same time, the security risks must be minimized and the resilience of the systems increases.
The challenge is to reconcile military requirements with civilian needs and to maintain the democratic principles and the rule of law. Germany has to prove that it can do justice to its new role as a logistical hub of NATO without giving up its civilian identity and its peace policy principles.
The success of this undertaking will significantly decide whether NATO is able to credibly demonstrate its deterrent and defense ability and thus contribute to stability in Europe. Germany bears a special responsibility that goes far beyond its geographical location and reflects its role as the largest economy in Europe and as a reliable partner in the transatlantic alliance.
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