Germany‘s Interior Ministry has called for civil defence training in schools and is urging citizens to stockpile food, water and essentials in response to the deteriorating security situation in Europe and a growing WW3 threat.
The unprecedented move, confirmed in a statement to Handelsblatt newspaper, would see German schoolchildren taught how to respond in volatile war-like scenarios.
A ministry spokesman said civil protection should be given greater focus, including in schools, given the alarming recent geopolitical developments and expert testimonies that Russia could be ready to strike NATO territory within a few years.
Defence spokesperson Roderich Kiesewetter for the conservative CDU party said it was ‘absolutely necessary’ for schoolchildren to train for emergencies, calling them ‘especially vulnerable and particularly affected in an emergency’.
He is calling for mandatory basic training in disaster response, modelled on systems in Finland, which has been preparing citizens for the possibility of a war with Vladimir Putin‘s Russia for years.
Berlin says it even stands ready to provide all schools and teachers with national crisis materials via the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) – and this is although technically education matters are something decided independently by each federal state.
The ministry also approved a new EU Commission initiative on wartime readiness, and recommended that all German citizens even prepare emergency supplies to last at least 72 hours as per recommendations from the European Union.
‘Temporary crisis situations can be handled well with basic reserves,’ the spokesperson said as Kiesewetter pointed out that Germany is ‘very less resilient’ with ‘backward’ crisis preparedness structures compared to Nordic countries.
The push for preparedness follows rising concern that Germany is woefully unprepared for a major conflict – and not just in terms of poorly-equipped army.
Red Cross officials have warned that massive swathes of the population would be left utterly defenceless in a real emergency, while internal assessments suggest the civil protection system is totally underfunded, disorganised and even outdated.
Last month, estimates suggested Germany would need to spend a staggering €30 billion to bring its civil defence up to minimum wartime standards.
German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the inspector general of Germany’s army, Carsten Breuer, have pointed out that a major war threatening Europe was a realistic scenario.
‘According to our analyses, Russia is capable of attacking NATO territory in four to seven years,’ Breuer recently told attendees at a security conference in Berlin.
The EU is now pushing for every household in the 27-nation bloc to have a three-day survival kit ready as Brussels hopes to ensure every citizen is equipped for 72 hours of self-sufficiency amid the growing war threat.
EU citizens are told to stock up on a dozen key items, including matches, ID documents in a waterproof pouch, bottled water, energy bars and a flashlight, as part of their ‘resilience’ kit.
It comes as security advisors have warned Britons to pack a 72-hour survival kit amid fears of a plot by Russia to sabotage the UK’s energy pipelines.
As the UK pursues Net Zero environmental targets – leading to the closure of coal-fired power stations – the country has become increasingly reliant on supplies of gas and electricity from abroad in order to ‘keep the lights on’.
Nearly 40 per cent of the UK’s gas supply is imported from Norway, much of which comes through the single, 700-mile Langeled pipeline.
Concerns that the Russians are planning a sabotage operation have escalated since one of their spy ships, the Yantar, was detected mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure in the North Sea in recent months.
With the UK reported to have come close to blackouts during the past winter – saved only by emergency reserves and electricity imported undersea from Denmark – security experts have argued that British households should follow the example of the EU, which has advised citizens to pack a three-day survival kit.
This should include water, non-perishable food, medicines, a battery-powered radio, a torch, identity documents and a Swiss Army knife.
The protection of critical undersea infrastructure will form part of the Government’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) by former Nato secretary-general Lord Robertson this year.
A source said: ‘We know that the Russians are active in the North Sea and have the power to cripple our energy links. We need to become much more self-sufficient, and quickly. And households should be ready for all eventualities.’
Meanwhile, European leaders have warned the invasion of Ukraine could soon break out into a ‘global’ war as some countries have already stepped up their preparation by distributing war survival guides.
The EU has now joined such efforts following a landmark report from Finland‘s former president Sauli Niinisto last year on strengthening Europe’s civilian and military preparedness.
Lahbib said: ‘Knowing what to do in case of danger, gaming out different scenarios, that’s also a way to prevent people from panicking. All of this comes in addition to national strategies.’
This will ensure panic does not set in if disaster strikes, she added, recalling shelves being raided clean of toilet paper in the early days of the pandemic.
In a letter to EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, three lawmakers from the European Parliament’s centrist group Renew urged the commission to go further by sending a handbook to every household in the bloc on preparing for ‘various crises, from potential conflict to climate disasters, pandemics and cyberthreats.’
EU leaders believe Vladimir Putin could march further into Europe if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is successful.
‘The Russians have globalized the war in Ukraine,’ French President Emmanuel Macron said in February. ‘There’s a conflict in Ukraine, in which Russians, as a matter of fact, have made things global. Will [the war] be limited to this theater? Let’s hope so.’The new 20-page booklet, reportedly packed with 63 measures, will advise the French on how to protect themselves and their families in the event of armed conflict, natural disasters, industrial accidents or even a nuclear leak.
It will include tips on how to create a ‘survival kit’ with essentials including six litres of water, canned food, batteries, a torch and basic medical supplies such as paracetamol and bandages.
Crucially, it will offer advice on what to do if an attack is imminent, including how to join local defence efforts, such as signing up for reserve units or firefighting groups.
Citizens will also be told to ‘lock their doors’ in the event of a nuclear incident – advice that has already drawn ridicule from commentators.
Despite the alarming content, the French government insists the booklet is not a direct response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Macron has previously warned that Europe must be prepared to confront the ‘Russian threat’ and adapt to the possibility that America could scale back its military support.
The new 20-page booklet will include tips on how to create a ‘survival kit’ with essentials including six litres of water, canned food, batteries, a torch and basic medical supplies such as paracetamol and bandages. Pictured is a graphic from a French government website showing the recommended contents of the kit
Officials from the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN), which oversaw the booklet’s creation, claim the aim of the survival guide is simply to bolster France’s resilience in the face of ‘all types of crises’.
The decision to draft the booklet reportedly dates back to 2022 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic as part of a national strategy to improve public preparedness.
But the timing of its release – expected before summer if approved by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou – has raised eyebrows.
French newspaper Le Figaro noted that the kit’s rollout ‘could easily suggest that the state is reacting to the unstable international situation’.
Credits: Daily Mail
