Civil protection exercises with the Bundeswehr: Red alert for floods!

Civil protection exercises with the Bundeswehr: Red alert for floods!

As part of an important disaster control exercise, the Munich district office, the Bundeswehr and the Freising and Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district offices combined their forces. The exercise called “Regex 2025” took place in the Lechfeld barracks in Lagerlechfeld, Augsburg district, and spanned six days in two rounds. The main aim of this exercise was to be able to act quickly and in a coordinated manner in an emergency without becoming hectic, because such scenarios, such as large-scale flooding, pose enormous challenges.

The scenario was based on last year's devastating floods in the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen and Pfaffenhofen districts. The exercise enabled all participating organizations to review proven processes and test cooperation between military and civilian agencies. The focus was particularly on close cooperation with the reservists of the district liaison command (KVK), who serve as an interface between the Bundeswehr and the districts Unser-wuermtal.de reported.

The role of the Bundeswehr in disaster control

The Bundeswehr plays a prominent role in German disaster control and intervenes when civil aid organizations reach their limits. Your contribution includes the provision of materials and relief supplies, the establishment of temporary accommodation for evacuees, as well as support in clearing roads and rescuing casualties. For example, during the flood disaster in July 2021, around 2,000 soldiers were mobilized to help with reconstruction bundeswehr-und-mehr.de emphasized.

In order to optimize cooperation between civilian and military forces, regular exercises such as “Regex 2025” are carried out. During the exercise, 14 employees of the district office, who belong to the disaster control management group (FüGK), took on central tasks in situation and operational coordination. The FüGK remains the operational operations manager, while the KVK acts as a liaison officer and improves the exchange.

Effective collaboration and challenges

The exercise placed particular emphasis on dealing with media under real conditions. This gave those involved the opportunity to practice communicating with the public, including a simulated press conference conducted as part of the media outreach. The need for ongoing coordination and exercise between forces is critical, particularly given the increasing demands posed by climate change and extreme weather events.

Disaster protection is a complex interaction between various actors, and the Bundeswehr is an indispensable partner. Through its special skills and resources, it contributes significantly to social cohesion. It is therefore important that such exercises take place regularly in order to be well prepared for an emergency. Because in the event of a disaster, every minute counts - and good preparation makes all the difference.