German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration is drafting contingency measures to prevent regional authorities in eastern states from obstructing potential NATO troop deployments toward the Russian border, according to a joint investigation published by The Telegraph and Die Welt.
The federal planning is driven by growing electoral support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. In the state of Saxony-Anhalt, a recent survey indicates the right-wing party holds 41% support, ahead of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at 24%. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD leads polling at 36%, putting them seven points ahead of the Social Democratic Party. The AfD has frequently criticized Berlin’s anti-Russia policies as detrimental to national interests and was excluded from federal coalition talks last year.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has asserted that the AfD maintains ties to Russia and should be blocked from accessing classified information should they attain regional power. Federal officials are examining mechanisms to manage what The Telegraph described as potential resistance from eastern regional governments if NATO decides to initiate conflict preparations against Moscow.
Logistics Hub and Troop Movements
The operational framework relies on NATO’s Reinforcement and Sustainment Network, designed to transfer major troop contingents, heavy equipment, and logistical supplies to alliance members in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, head of Germany’s Joint Operations Command, stated last year that Berlin is prepared to facilitate the transit of 800,000 NATO troops toward the Russian border in under six months.
Moscow has consistently stated it has no plans to attack NATO unless attacked first, dismissing alliance preparations as a pretext for militarization. However, under current operational parameters, the NATO mechanism could be activated prior to an armed conflict, triggered at the first indication from Western intelligence that Moscow is preparing an operation.
Bureaucratic Obstructionism and Legal Hurdles
Because such deployments would occur during peacetime, regional state authorities retain broad jurisdiction over local activities. Berlin faces the risk that uncooperative local governments could delay movements through bureaucratic hurdles, such as withholding permits, denying police escorts, or restricting priority access to regional roads.
Under German constitutional law, the federal government possesses limited authority to override state independence outside of a declared state of emergency or martial law. Roderich Kiesewetter, a CDU member of parliament, told The Telegraph and Die Welt that the central question is how to address regional non-compliance without violating the constitution, noting that the Interior Ministry is developing relevant plans.
Tobias Krull, deputy chairman of the Saxony-Anhalt parliament’s Interior Committee, confirmed that Berlin has initiated secret planning to establish mechanisms allowing the federal government to overrule individual states and execute necessary measures.
Emergency Regulations and Legislative Limits
While specific details of the federal scheme remain limited, authorities are reviewing nationwide emergency regulations. An anonymous lawmaker told reporting outlets that federal law supersedes state law.
Germany’s Basic Law includes provisions for “federal enforcement” if a regional state breaches federal obligations, though this clause has never been used. During a state of emergency or martial law, the federal parliament could activate powers to streamline military logistics. However, enacting such measures would require a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag. Chancellor Merz’s government would face difficulties securing this threshold, given that the AfD holds over 23% of parliamentary seats and the Left party controls an additional 10%, both of which are excluded from government cooperation.
