Together with authorities, police and fire departments, the Hamburg State Command trains procedures for crisis and exceptional situations. Several German companies are also taking part in the Bundeswehr exercise “Red Storm Charlie”. At the same time, the IT division of the Schwarz Group is cooperating with the defense company Hensoldt.

From Bundeswehr advertising signs on every corner to compulsory military service for men from the age of eighteen - preparations for a possible event of war are in full swing. And not only the Bundeswehr should prepare, all necessary sectors should also be brought on board.

Bundeswehr exercises under the name “Red Storm” have been carried out annually in Hamburg since 2024. These civil-military exercises are intended to train cooperation in crisis situations under the direction of the Hamburg State Command. To do this, fictitious crisis and exceptional situations are simulated.

Forgotten law from the Cold War era

The Bundeswehr exercise “Red Storm Bravo” was completed in the port city last year. She also took part in this exerciseEmployment Agency. This was intended to test the Employment Security Act (ASG), which was passed in 1968 and has never been used in practice since then. In a “defense case”, the employment agency is therefore responsible for ensuring that critical jobs, which are important for providing care to citizens, for example, remain occupied or are occupied. Terminations can also be prohibited.

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The employment agency’s approach is regulated in the Employment Security Act and only applies in a “case of tension or defense”. The Bundestag must decide on the “emergency situation” with a two-thirds majority for the law to apply. The law only became law in spring 2025revised.

It was also stated that the employment agency will be allowed to forcibly transfer people of military age between 18 and 60 in the future - including conscientious objectors. So far, women can only be forced to work in hospitals. In addition, many other industries and different jobs are affected: from waste companies, energy suppliers and care facilities to individual jobs such as doctors, train drivers, bus drivers, many others are included.

Hamburg trains for possible war

The Bundeswehr’s inner-city exercise “Red Storm Charlie” will take place from September 24th to 26th. Thefictional scenariodescribes “political developments and initial tensions at the borders of the Baltic states”. Germany serves as a hub for military and civilian transports, because in the assumed case, allied forces are supposed to arrive in Hamburg and, after receiving them, “are moved further east via roads and highways”.

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“As with Red Storm Bravo last year, with Red Storm Charlie we are training the transfer of troops and material to the eastern flank of the alliance area,” reportsKurt Leonards, commander of the Hamburg regional command. In addition, scenarios such as electrical or chemical accidents and the care of many injured people are practiced.

Around 500 Bundeswehr soldiers are taking part in the exercise this year. The exact number of vehicles is not known, but “numerous” military, civilian and convoy vehicles and helicopters are planned. The exercises should mainly take place at night in order to keep the impact on “traffic and the economy” as low as possible.

There are already plans for next yearinitial considerationsfor a possible continuation of the series of exercises with “Red Storm Delta”.

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“Private crisis preparedness”

A large number of organizations train with the Hamburg State Command and various units of the Bundeswehr, such as the Technical Relief Agency, the Hamburg Fire Department and Police, as well as state authorities and civilian companies such as the aerospace company Airbus.

Also that oneEdeka Groupis participating this year with a contribution from private emergency preparedness. With a self-developed emergency backpack, the group would like to draw attention to the importance of private precautions in the event of an emergency. The robust outdoor backpack with a capacity of around 26 liters contains, among other things, a solar power bank, a crank radio with a flashlight, a pocket stove, a first-aid kit and other items.

“Providing people with a reliable supply of food is essential for our everyday lives and our social stability,” saysMark Mosa, Chairman of the Edeka headquarters. “As part of the critical infrastructure, we take responsibility – for stable processes in the EDEKA network and for increasing awareness of private crisis preparedness,” continued Mosa. Preventing possible crises is thus brought closer to customers and packaged as a personal matter.

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In addition to the Edeka Group, which also includes the Netto subsidiary, other companies are taking part in “Red Storm Charlie” to support: the technology company Philips and the trading company Schwarz Group, which owns the well-known discount and supermarket chains Lidl and Kaufland, are also taking part.

“Strategic partnership” between Schwarz-Digits and Hensoldt

The IT and digital division of the Schwarz Group called Schwarz Digits merged with the defense company Hensoldt in February 2026 to form a “strategic partnership" merged. Hensoldt is one of the leading technology companies in the defense and security industry. The group equips aircraft, vehicles, ships and satellites with high-tech electronics, including electronic warfare, radar and cyber capabilities. Last year the company made a profit of452 million euros.

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The partnershipreactboth companies said in response to the “urgent need for independent cloud technology and deployable IT architecture for the defense sector.” Both partners said that together they would promote the expansion of “software-defined defense” and data-driven capabilities for the networked operational space. The goal of the collaboration is “to provide fully integrated, sovereign and cloud-enabled solutions for Germany and other nations allied to Germany.”

AdditionallycooperatedSchwarz Digits with the Federal Office for Security and Information Technology (BSI). The partnership thus pursues the goal of “joint development of sovereign cloud solutions for public administration in order to strengthen Germany’s technological independence”.

Protests against Bundeswehr exercises

Last year there were already protests against the Bundeswehr exercise in Hamburg. While reservists re-enacted a sit-in with “climate stickers,” which was then cleared by the police, a broad alliance organized a parallel rally with around 250 and a demonstration with around 2,000 participants.

Workers from the Mercedes factories as well as Airbus and Enercon put up a banner against the use of factories and ports for war purposes. The main criticism was the militarization of everyday life, while at the same time funds for local transport, care and education were being cut. Germany's role in the genocide in Gaza was also discussed.

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Even larger protests have been announced for this year. The Rheinmetall Disarm Alliance is calling for nationwide days of action against the maneuver from September 23rd to 26th. The call states that Hamburg cannot be mobilized and is “unfit for war”. The central point of contact is a “trouble center” in the Old Elbpark. Among other things, the demonstrations “For open borders” and “Hamburg remains unsuitable” as well as direct actions against war logistics are planned.

The Red Youth of Germany warns in its call for the action days: “The civil-military cooperation that is to be rehearsed in Hamburg already indicates that more and more areas need to be made fit for war: whether logistics companies, supermarkets or traditional industrial production, nowhere is one any longer safe from having one's own livelihood being put at the service of warmongering.” The call is also aimed at colleagues in companies who could be directly affected by the switch to military equipment or services for the Bundeswehr.

Finally, the DGB is calling for a rally against social cuts on September 26th at 2 p.m. Afterwards, the alliance “No NATO Port” demonstrates under the motto “No to the Red Storm Charlie war exercise! Yes to social progress!” On September 24th, the alliance is also organizing a “Concert for Peace”.

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