Military exercise Red Storm Bravo: Hamburg in a state of emergency!

Military exercise Red Storm Bravo: Hamburg in a state of emergency!

The military exercise “Red Storm Bravo” began in Hamburg today, September 26, 2025 - a major event that will keep the city on tenterhooks in the coming days. Within sight of the Elbphilharmonie and the Michel, the streets become the setting for the largest military exercise since the end of the Cold War. A spokesman for the local Bundeswehr state command confirmed the exercise on Thursday afternoon and announced that it would last until Saturday. The aim is to exercise under realistic conditions to strengthen civil-military cooperation in crisis situations, especially in the context of a possible conflict on NATO's eastern border.

The exercise starts with a kilometer-long convoy of Bundeswehr vehicles through the city. There is also protest: reservists have staged a demonstration that is supposed to symbolically stop the column. Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) describes this exercise as pioneering work in Germany, while press spokesman Jürgen Bredtmann emphasizes the importance of such long convoy journeys. Around 800 people are involved in the exercise, including around 500 soldiers and 300 members of the police, fire brigade and other organizations, all of whom have to work closely together to simulate the processes.

Realistic simulation and modern challenges

The scenarios are anything but theoretical: troop deployments to the east are necessary after a military conflict on the border of a Baltic state, which represents a logistical challenge. Sea Captain Kurt Leonards emphasizes that Germany acts as a central European hub for troop deployments in the event of an alliance. The exercise covers various aspects, from the arrival of troops in the port of Hamburg to their further deployment on roads and highways to the east.

Particular attention will also be paid to drone defense, which will be rehearsed on the second day of the exercise, and how to deal with a mass casualty incident, which will be on the agenda on the third day of the exercise. The city administration has emphasized that regular operations in the port and the daily lives of citizens should be disrupted as little as possible. However, those responsible are expecting aircraft noise and temporary traffic disruptions, especially at night when military vehicles roll through the streets.

Political support and protests

Politically, the exercises receive support from most parties in Hamburg City Hall, which underlines the importance of the event. Despite this support, there are already announced protests from left-wing groups that oppose the exercise. The first rally mobilized around 250 participants who wanted to clearly express their rejection. Such protests make it clear that there are different opinions among the population about the military presence and its exercises.

The operations center for “Red Storm Bravo” is located in a barracks in Iserbrook, where a large part of the exercise is planned and coordinated “at the green table”. Nevertheless, one thing is clear: “Red Storm Bravo” is not a public event and no real use of weapons is planned. Rather, it is about realistically rehearsing the organizational processes and cooperation with civilian authorities - an exercise that is important not only for the Bundeswehr, but also for the city of Hamburg as a logistics hub in the event of a tension.

For Hamburg, this is a unique but also challenging event that is testing the city from both a military and a civilian perspective. It remains to be seen how events will develop in the next few days.