Military exercise “Red Storm Charlie” ended in Hamburg
Three-day civil-military crisis management exercise accompanied by protests
Quick Look
- The three-day military exercise “Red Storm Charlie” in Hamburg ended on Saturday.
- Around 1,700 participants trained in civil-military cooperation in crisis scenarios.
- The maneuver was accompanied by protests from the “No NATO Port” alliance.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The exercise is based on the Germany Operational Plan, which regulates the coordination of military and civilian bodies in national and alliance defense. It was the third exercise of this kind in Hamburg.
Accompanied by demonstrations, the three-day military exercise “Red Strom Charlie” ended in Hamburg on Saturday. The focus of the joint exercise between the Bundeswehr, civil authorities, organizations and companies was communication, coordination and joint action in complex situations.
Around 1,700 participants, including around 500 soldiers, had to cope with various tasks, such as a chemical accident, an act of sabotage on a train carrying military goods, a mass incident of injured soldiers and the establishment of a replacement hospital in an underground car park.
As the first major test, the Bundeswehr and police had to take two enemy drones out of the sky on Thursday, defuse them and arrest the drone pilot at the O'Swaldkai terminal area of the port logistics company HHLA. A convoy with up to 70 military vehicles also rolled through the city that night.
The exercise was accompanied by protests; on Thursday, according to police, activists tried in vain to disrupt the military convoy. On Friday, activists occupied the harbor railway tracks and on Saturday hundreds of demonstrators marched through the city center.
The “No NATO Port” alliance called for protest under the motto “NO to the Red Storm Charlie war maneuver - YES to social progress!”. The alliance was supported by initiatives from the peace movement, youth associations, trade unionists and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), among others.
“Red Storm Charlie” was the third civil-military exercise of its kind in Hamburg. The basis for this was the Germany operational plan. According to the Bundeswehr, it describes how military measures for national and alliance defense are coordinated with civilian support services. The aim of the plan is to define responsibilities, processes and procedures at an early stage so that government and civil authorities can react in a coordinated and effective manner if necessary.
In addition to the Bundeswehr, after “Red Storm Alpha” (2024) and “Red Storm Bravo” (2025), blue light organizations such as the police, fire brigade and technical relief organization took part in the third resilience-building and defense exercise. Also present were state authorities, the University Hospital Hamburg Eppendorf and civilian companies such as Airbus, the port logistics company HHLA, the port administration HPA and food retail chains. In addition, around 250 companies wanted to test their ability to act in the event of a longer power outage in the Chamber of Commerce's “Red Storm Business” exercise.
Open Questions
- What specific insights were gained from the exercise?
