Mr. Schuster, does Germany have to prepare for war?
Always, yes, regardless of the current situation. For decades there was no awareness of this danger. Until two years ago, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) was not taken seriously when we demanded national reserves for the country or called on the citizens to set up an emergency reserve for ten days.
What reactions are you getting now?
We see a tremendous change in mood. We have to manage three crises at the same time: Corona, floods, the war in Ukraine. This is what we call a multiple layer. My authority has always warned against this and was ridiculed for it. Now the mentality has completely changed. There is a new seriousness when it comes to the question of how are we really positioned in terms of civil protection, civil protection?
What is necessary to make civil defense in Germany fit?
It is not enough that we upgrade our military capabilities for external security. A country that relies heavily on the Bundeswehr in civilian crises loses a key partner when the Bundeswehr is on its own mission. Is the potential of the Technical Relief Agency, the aid organizations and the full-time and voluntary helpers sufficient? And how long do they last? The modernization of our military defenses must go hand in hand with the modernization of civil defences. In concrete terms, this means that we need to invest several billions in protecting the population.
Lets check how many shelters there are just in case: Armin Schuster, President of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance
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Image: dpa
The draft budget foresees 100 new jobs. Is that enough for now?
We are now being overwhelmed by expectations and demands that we have never had the resources for before. We commissioned a leading consulting company, which calculated our needs based on existing orders and future tasks. The result: the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance should actually have significantly more employees than the 400 it currently has. That’s why the 100 post growth is a starter package, but not sufficient. We still have hope for the parliamentary procedure. I am asking MEPs for a further increase.
In the event of a disaster, you must warn people. Is this still going through sirens?
We are talking about a warning mix of analogue and digital means. This includes the siren in your pocket, i.e. our warning app NINA, as well as public information boards, radio and television. We want to have implemented the cell broadcast system by the end of the year, which authorities can use to reach all mobile phone users in a specific area. The classic siren is also still important: for crises of national importance, however, the federal and state governments have to invest heavily in a nationwide expansion of modern sirens with emergency power. There is not enough funding for this yet.
Do we need new shelters?
The federal and state governments are currently examining which shelters still exist. And we are now developing concepts of what effective structural civil protection could look like in the future. Many people can also go down to the basement in their house. One hears about Switzerland that it has 100 percent coverage of shelters. Very many of these rooms are in private houses.
That means you work with scenarios in which people in this country have to protect themselves from bombs?
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