The Bundeswehr is preparing for a Germany-wide Corona emergency and wants to mobilize up to 12,000 soldiers to support the overburdened clinics and health authorities. This is reported by the “Spiegel”.
Uniformed helpers should also be available for booster vaccinations, rapid tests in front of nursing homes and hospitals. According to the report, the responsible Lieutenant General Martin Schelleis sent a corresponding template to the Defense Department on Friday.
According to this, 6,000 soldiers should be ready by the end of November, then a good 12,000 by Christmas time.
The force currently has 3,000 soldiers on hand for Corona official assistance, 630 are currently deployed. However, the crisis team has already registered that the number of calls for help has increased in the past few days. From next week at the latest, administrative assistance requests from all federal states are expected. The commander of the armed forces base warned his soldiers last week by order of the day of a “difficult winter”.
The force only had more than 10,000 soldiers deployed during the critical phases of the pandemic. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) will take part in Chancellor Merkel’s Corona summit with the countries next Thursday due to the explosive nature of the situation.
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