Germany plans to invest 10 billion euros in the modernization of civil defense and warning systems by 2029. The program covers the installation of sirens and the construction of new shelters. This was stated by Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt, reports Reuters.
“We are modernizing our civil defense”, the head of the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The plan comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions, as well as growing threats from extremism and so-called hybrid attacks, which could include strikes on power grids or disinformation campaigns.
The civil defense pact provides for the installation of sirens to alert the public, the implementation of digital notification systems for mobile phones, the construction of new shelters, the purchase of about 1,500 vehicles for fire services, ambulances, mobile command centers and heavy equipment.
According to the publication, as part of the initiative, disaster relief training will also be conducted with the participation of the military, rescuers, the Federal Agency for Technical Assistance and humanitarian organizations.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the German government decided to update the system of public shelters. The country currently has 579 shelters for approximately 480,000 people, most of which have not been used since the Cold War.
