Hamburg in a state of emergency: Between military exercises, protests and hopes for armaments

Hamburg is currently experiencing the contradictions of the German era in concentrated form. Loud military helicopters are circling over the city, emergency services from civil defense are training in the event of a crisis in the port, activists are blocking train tracks in protest against the rearmament. At the same time, politicians are hoping for orders worth billions for the domestic shipyard industry.

The debate was triggered by the large-scale civil-military exercise “Red Storm Charlie,” which runs until Saturday in Hamburg. Around 1,500 participants, including around 500 Bundeswehr soldiers, train scenarios that range from a large-scale power outage to chemical accidents to caring for numerous injured people. Defense against drone attacks has already been practiced in the port. The program also includes the transport of troops and material to the east.

In particular, the low-flying helicopters over parts of the city have attracted attention in recent days. The organizers see the maneuver as necessary preparation for possible crisis and defense situations. Critics, on the other hand, warn of increasing militarization of public spaces.

The Bundeswehr rejects the accusation of militarization. “As with 'Red Storm Bravo' last year, we are training in 'Red Storm Charlie' to transfer troops and material to the eastern flank of the alliance area,” said Hamburg regional commander Kurt Leonards. According to the Bundeswehr, the Hanseatic city plays a key role as a hub for troop movements in the NATO alliance because of its port and its transport and logistics infrastructure. The involvement of civilian forces - specifically, for example, vans that belong to supermarket chains - is important because in an emergency this level has to step in if the Bundeswehr is needed elsewhere.

That didn't convince everyone: the protest against the exercise also reached the port of Hamburg. On Friday, several dozen activists blocked the harbor railway tracks in the Vollhöfener Weiden area south of the Elbe. According to the police, around 60 people were on the tracks. The action is part of the protest days of the “Rheinmetall Disarmen” alliance. It is supported by the climate protection movement Ende Gelände. The activists accuse the Bundeswehr of using threat scenarios to legitimize an armament worth billions. According to the alliance, armaments, among other things, are transported via the affected route in Altenwerder.

A peace concert had already taken place on Jungfernstieg on Thursday. Another protest march from the city center to the Landungsbrücken has been announced for Saturday.

While demonstrations against higher defense spending are taking place on the streets of Hamburg, politicians are looking at the Bundeswehr with different expectations. Economics Senator Melanie Leonhard (SPD) expects that Hamburg could benefit from future arms orders.

My expectation is that the next step will be to look at Hamburg

The background is the recent award of a major contract for new frigates. After the Ministry of Defense stopped the originally planned construction of six ships of the type F126, the follow-up order went to the Kiel shipyard group TKMS. However, Leonhard expects that Berlin will also take greater account of the capacities of Blohm+Voss in Hamburg and the Peene shipyard in Wolgast in the future. “My expectation is that the next step will be to look at Hamburg,” said the senator. The Ministry of Defense must avoid becoming dependent on just one provider for future projects.

However, Leonhard does not see any acute concerns about the capacity utilization of Blohm+Voss. The site is initially busy with the construction of fleet service boats and the equipping of corvettes. However, in the longer term, new naval orders could become significantly more important.

In Hamburg, the conflicts that the turning point is triggering are currently being seen under a magnifying glass. While security authorities and the Bundeswehr rehearse an emergency, resistance on the streets is growing. At the same time, companies and politicians are hoping for new economic prospects through increasing defense spending. The planned continuation of the series of exercises next year under the name “Red Storm Delta” is likely to further fuel the debate.