€10 billion plan in Germany for civil protection. Change of strategy, from the bunkers of the Cold War
The German government approved a new Civil Defense Plan on Wednesday, which calls for the creation of shelters in common locations such as underground parking lots, tunnels and subway stations, and marks a move away from the bunker concept of the recent war, according to Reuters.
The authorities plan to invest €10 billion in strengthening civil defense by 2029 as part of a wider defense spending campaign.
Currently, according to the data published by the government when presenting the investment plan, Germany has 579 shelters with a capacity of about 480,000 people – basically, for only 0.56% of the country's population, notes Deutsche Welle. Many of them have not been used since the Cold War.
“Hybrid threats, including from Russia, are on the rise and so something needs to be done about it – and that's exactly what we're doing now,” the Home Secretary's spokesman said.
Special vehicles and a modern alert system
The money will also be used to purchase more than 1,000 special vehicles and protective suits, as well as to upgrade the mass alert network.
The German Ministry of the Interior also plans to create a central control unit to coordinate work between public entities.
“This concept from the 1980s, which never worked, must be abandoned in today's modern security environment,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.
The official said the new plan aims to increase protection in people's homes and give them faster access to safe places in public spaces.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the plan was based on lessons learned from the experience of Ukraine, where an app warns civilians of attacks and urges them to seek shelter.
