A new large formation is being created within the structure of the German Bundeswehr – the territorial defense division (Heimatschutzdivision).
It must protect assets inside the country if other ground forces are deployed to NATO’s eastern flank. This was reported by Deutsche Welle with reference to the dpa agency.
It is noted that such an initiative was voiced by a representative of the German Ground Forces.
The division consists of reservists and active military personnel under a single command.
In April 2024, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius unveiled a new structure for the Bundeswehr, which he said was necessary to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities. It involves the reorganization and expansion of territorial reserves:
- they now include four territorial defense regiments. They serve exclusively reservists. They are subordinate to the command in a specific region of Germany;
- According to the new plans, the Bundeswehr will form six terrorist defense regiments with a total number of approximately 6 thousand people in Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and North Rhine-Westphalia. They will be united into a brand new territorial defense division. Both reservists and active military personnel will serve there;
- From April 1, the terrorist defense forces are subordinated directly to the Ground Forces (Heer). Now they have only three divisions – two tank divisions (1st and 10th), as well as a division of rapid reaction forces. Each serves about 20 thousand people. The territorial defense division will become the fourth.
The task of the new connection will be to protect critical facilities inside Germany, such as ports, railway facilities, cargo transshipment points, pipelines, roads, bridges, transport interchanges and digital infrastructure. In peacetime, a territorial defense division can be deployed to provide assistance in the event of accidents, terrorist attacks or a pandemic.
The plan to create a territorial defense division is also reportedly based on the assumption that three other Army divisions could be deployed to NATO’s eastern flank, such as Poland, Lithuania or Estonia, to deter or repel military aggression. Then Germany will need reliable protection in the rear.
Source: Deutsche Welle
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.