Germany drills massive NATO logistics response in Hamburg amid Russian threat

In late September 2026, Hamburg hosted "Red Storm Charlie", the biggest NATO-defence exercise in Germany to date, with roughly 1,700 participants and 500 Bundeswehr soldiers. The scenario imagined NATO troops arriving at Germany's largest seaport and advancing eastward amid sabotage, demonstrations and logistical hurdles. The exercise feeds into the secret Operationsplan Deutschland, a strategy devised after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine to enable the transit of up to 800,000 soldiers and 200,000 vehicles through Germany within six months.

Security experts warn that aging bridges and roads, many built during the Cold War, could impede such movements. The plan balances secrecy—restricting route details to prevent Russian interference—with the need for public and local authority support. Concerns were raised about the far-right AfD potentially accessing sensitive information, though the Defence Ministry says only limited excerpts are shared on a need-to-know basis.