Germany may restrict the far-right government's access to the war plan
The German Ministry of Defense is considering restricting the government of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt’s access to a classified contingency plan for war or other large-scale crises if the region comes under the leadership of the far-right party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD).
The plan in question is OPLAN—a document of about 1,000 pages that outlines Germany’s defense strategy and the procedures for coordination between government agencies and NATO in the event of war or a crisis.
The document contains provisions for coordinating the actions of federal and regional authorities in the event of a large-scale threat.
The plan is based on the fact that Germany is a key logistical hub for NATO forces, which, in the event of a threat, must be redeployed eastward to strengthen the Alliance’s defense.
The full version of the OPLAN is available to the leaders of all 16 federal states in Germany. At the same time, local authorities are granted access only to those parts of the document necessary for the performance of their duties.
According to a Bloomberg source, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius informed officials this week of his desire to prevent the secret plan from falling into Russia’s hands should the AfD come to power in the region.
The position of the far-right party, which German security agencies view as a potential risk, has become a focus of particular attention.
In particular, the AfD advocates for the restoration of economic ties with Russia and opposes military aid to Ukraine.
In the Saxony-Anhalt elections, the party received 44% of the vote. It fell just three seats short of an absolute majority in the state parliament.
It is expected that as early as next month, political agreements in the state parliament could potentially bring representatives of the far-right party to power in one of Germany’s regions.
According to the data cited, this would be an unprecedented situation since World War II.
Pistorius voiced his concerns on September 8 at a closed-door meeting with defense policy experts from the parliamentary factions of the governing coalition.
German officials also assume that OPLAN could be activated in the event of an escalation of the conflict with Russia.
According to Bloomberg, German officials have been exploring options for protecting classified information for several months in case the far right gains control over security operations at the state level.
Among the possible measures being considered are the removal or classification of specific data, access to which could potentially pose a threat to national security.
The German Ministry of Defense confirmed that OPLAN is a classified document but declined to comment further.
Thus, officials in Berlin are already considering a scenario in which the AfD’s potential rise to power in Saxony-Anhalt could affect regional authorities’ access to Germany’s and NATO’s most sensitive defense data.
Bloomberg reported this, citing sources.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel commented on the election results in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) achieved significant success. The CDU representative called the situation in the country historically significant.
On Monday evening, thousands of people gathered near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to protest against the far-right party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD). The demonstration took place following the party’s decisive victory in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt.
Two months before the Berlin House of Representatives election, the right-wing populist party “Alternative for Germany,” led by Christine Brinker, took the lead in the polls for the first time.
Sven Schulze, Prime Minister of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, called on the governing CDU/CSU bloc to conclude personnel discussions at the federal level as quickly as possible, so that they do not disrupt the campaign ahead of the state parliamentary elections. Voting in Saxony-Anhalt is scheduled for September 6.
