Revealed documents show that Germany is assuming the need to move hundreds of thousands of soldiers to NATO’s eastern flank, with military officials on the Rhine warning that Russia could attack the Alliance in the near future.
Details of the Secret Plan
The American daily The Wall Street Journal reached a 1,200-page document prepared by high-ranking Bundeswehr officers. It is the result of work launched two and a half years ago. The plan outlines in detail the transfer of 800,000 German, American, and allied soldiers eastward, toward a potential front line. It includes maps of ports, rivers, roads, and railway lines that would be used for the rapid movement of troops. The document also describes methods for supplying and securing key logistical points during the operation. According to WSJ, Germany is expected to become NATO’s main transit hub.
The analysis highlights that Russia – despite the ongoing war in Ukraine – could rebuild its military capability within 2–5 years to a level that would threaten NATO states. The Alliance assumes that in the event of aggression, the Kremlin’s first targets would be Latvia and Lithuania, which could happen as early as 2027. Statements from German commanders leave no illusions about the scale of the danger. One of them, Alexander Sohlfrank, warned that Russia “could launch a limited attack on NATO territory as soon as tomorrow”, he said. Among the main challenges identified in the plan is the disastrous state of infrastructure. The authors note that 20 percent of highways and more than one-quarter of bridges in Germany require urgent repairs. Ports on the Baltic and North Seas also need modernization, which would cost an estimated 15–18 billion euros.
These so-called “infrastructure bottlenecks” are described in the document as “the most closely guarded secrets” of the transfer plan.