“We see clear signs that we’re no longer living in a classic state of peace”

The Bundeswehr’s regional territorial commands are key interfaces in civil-military cooperation. What does a commander think about the discussion about “war-fighting capability” or “war-readiness” and a “defense-capable society”? We spoke to Captain (Navy) Michael Giss about his role in national and collective defense, the right way to deal with the public’s fears, and his understanding of ethics in military training.

Captain Giss, you were the Commander of the Hamburg Territorial Command and were recently transferred to the same position in Baden-Württemberg. How was the transfer for you?

Although the transfer took place at very short notice, I found it relatively smooth. My old headquarters in Hamburg supported me in every way and the new headquarters in Stuttgart prepared itself very well in the short time available. The initial contacts in the city, in government, in business and with civil actors were also very friendly. I would call it a “promising start”, as the English would say.

Has transferring from the City State of Hamburg to the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg changed the content of your work? What was the focus of your work before, and what is it now?

Essentially, nothing has changed. The regional territorial commands are the military liaison offices in the German federal states, and the basic tasks and missions are the same. So in terms of homeland security for example, we look at the critical infrastructure, transport routes, and of course cooperation with other NATO partners according to the same criteria as in other federal states. For example, there are a lot of U.S. troops stationed in Baden-Württemberg, and we are close to France.

So for you it’s about building contacts, networking and fostering cooperation on the ground?

That’s precisely the first priority task: getting to know the key players from all areas and all social institutions that could potentially play a role in national and collective defense here in the federal state.

As a result of the war in Ukraine – you’ve already mentioned national and collective defense – the tasks of the regional territorial commands and their commanders have probably changed significantly?

That’s right. Derived from the corresponding NATO strategies, the Federal Republic of Germany has also refocused on the core business of national and collective defense. Homeland security and all the tasks associated with the Operational Plan for Germany are now our core business. We have to make the civilian side in the federal states aware of this, address the needs of the armed forces there and gradually start planning – in order to create the basis for meaningful deterrence.

Do you think the terms “war-fighting capability/war-readiness” or “defense-capable society” are appropriate? Some critics have spoken of scaremongering or even warmongering.

I think it’s good and reasonable that the Minister of Defense has simply put such a word out there – so that the Zeitenwende or “watershed moment” that we’ve now reached can be discussed from different perspectives throughout society. “War-fighting capability” doesn’t imply jingoism, militarism or the intention to go to war tomorrow morning, but rather that the Bundeswehr, after its downsizing and the suspension of compulsory military service, will be restored to a state in which it can fulfil its defense mandate in accordance with Article 87a of the Basic Law.

But that’s only part of it. In my opinion, it’s more a matter of bringing society closer to a state of national resilience. We’re exposed to hybrid attacks on a daily basis. Society should understand this as an attack on its value system and recognize that we must be able to defend freedom of speech and liberalism, even resorting to drastic measures if necessary. I feel it’s very important to have this social debate during lectures and public discussions.

So you would agree with Lieutenant General Bodemann’s assertion: “We’re not at war, but we haven’t been at peace for a long time”?

I completely agree with that. The Bundeswehr, as well as government and business, have been experiencing this every day for years. We’re massively exposed to cyber-attacks and fake news. Attempts are being made to fragment our society. We’re experiencing physical acts of sabotage, just think of Nord Stream 2 and the recent events in the Baltic Sea. We’re being spied on with the help of drones. Entire administrations are being hacked. All this is happening – to put it as a naval officer – below the waterline, and it’s increasing in quantity and quality. To me, these are clear signs that we’re no longer living in a conventional state of peace.

For the event that it does not remain a subliminal conflict, the aforementioned Operational Plan for Germany has been drawn up. How are the regional territorial commands involved in concrete terms?

You have to essentially understand the systematic method behind the Operational Plan for Germany. The plan is intended to reflect Germany’s overall defense concept. It therefore reflects the military and civilian pillars. The military pillar concentrates primarily on the so-called “German hub”, in other words NATO’s supply lines to its eastern flank, the redeployment of troops through Germany – everything that Germany has to do in order to deploy the Alliance sensibly on the eastern flank. For example, we’re also looking at defense-related infrastructure.

However, the civilian pillar also has essential tasks in states of tension and defense, such as maintaining law and order, ensuring food and health supplies, or air protection. So for its part it contributes to the overall defense, and this is bundled in the Operational Plan for Germany.

Broken down to the regional territorial level, is it your job to involve all the relevant players there?

The Federal Defense and Interior Ministries in Berlin are the main coordinators at the federal government level. The regional territorial commands have the relevant government and economic contacts at the federal state level to make the appropriate arrangements locally on the ground, in other words to write the chapter for the respective federal state, so to speak.

For Hamburg, for example, this would mean managing the landing of troops in the port and their onward deployment: Who supplies the soldiers, which routes do they take through the city and the like?

That’s exactly right. But it’s also about making arrangements with civilian agencies and the authorities in advance, for example for providing additional manpower, for security measures that the Bundeswehr cannot provide alone, or for providing food and accommodation for allied troops if they have to rest here for a few days. After all, the Bundeswehr no longer has any food depots, to stay with the example. We then have to fall back on civilian resources. This only works with civilian contact points and a plan as to who will provide us with these resources.

In your opinion, do the business community, civil authorities and organizations understand your assessment of the situation? Or what else worries you?

The willingness of politicians, business and blue light organizations to listen to us and engage in objective, goal-oriented discussions and planning is very high. It was no different in Hamburg than it is here in Baden-Württemberg. But it can only work if the population supports us and understands why we have to do certain things at certain times. So if NATO really has to deploy massive numbers of troops to the eastern flank to act as a deterrent there, then federal highways and motorways will have to be closed for certain periods and opened to military traffic. This will be a burden on the population.

It’s essentially a matter of understanding that the Federal Republic of Germany will also be protected in this way. That’s my main point in all of this. All those who bear responsibility, not only on the military side, must now prepare the population, without hysteria and scaremongering, for the fact that after the peace and freedom we’ve experienced over the last 20 or 30 years, we may be heading for tougher times. This is a key success factor for the Operational Plan for Germany and the country’s overall resilience.

In March this year, for example, there was a debate about whether civil protection should be covered as a topic in schools again. This was partly rejected on the grounds that it would cause fear.

As a citizen, I may perhaps say: Yes, it may frighten some people if they are now expected to talk about such things. But fear is a bad advisor. In Scandinavia or in the Baltic states, they say quite matter-of-factly and soberly: There may be threats and aggressors from outside, and we have to prepare for them. This is an important step towards not being afraid, or at least being less afraid. If civil protection provides a way to help and protect the population, then we must be able to talk about it without emotion. As a citizen, I would expect those in positions of responsibility to do this or to think about it.

Homeland security in your federal state also falls within your area of responsibility. What is the current situation in terms of establishing the regiments – also in view of the fact that the Operational Plan envisages not just 6,000 homeland security personnel, but double that?

The formation of the homeland security forces went very well in Hamburg, we had a lot of people who were interested, and the four companies in Baden-Württemberg are also reasonably well established and trained. But in a situation of tension and defense, we of course need more forces. I therefore welcome the fact that the Federal Minister of Defense has once again broached the issue of compulsory military or public service and presented an option. Because if we need more servicemen and women in such an event, then we will have to fall back on reservists. Compulsory military or public service is therefore not a mobilization measure! However, as a precautionary measure, we need to provide basic military training already now for people who can then return to civilian life.

Regardless of what the voters decide in the near future: From your point of view, is some kind of measure in this direction absolutely necessary?

As the commander of a regional territorial command, as an officer in the Bundeswehr, I can answer this question with a resounding yes.

If required, the homeland security forces are supposed to provide guard and security services, protect critical and defense-related infrastructure, or provide support for the armed forces of friendly nations during their transit or stay in Germany (host nation support). Are there other tasks?

You’ve more or less covered them. If we actually find ourselves in the position of having to provide deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank, then the bulk of the Bundeswehr will be on its way there, stationing itself there, operationally deployed there – while the homeland security forces, the territorial forces, will stay behind in Germany and take on all these tasks. In this respect, they also need to be broadly trained.

At the moment, there are several ways into homeland security, for example through modular training. As you’ve just described, the focus is probably on purely military aspects. Or do ethical aspects also play a role?

Of course, the focus is on the military part, but the ethical aspects, the Lebenskundlicher Unterricht and the support provided by the military chaplaincy naturally also play a role in homeland security companies – as I experienced myself in Hamburg. During each exercise there was a session in which ethical aspects were also discussed. In my understanding as a military leader and responsible commanding officer, I’m not only responsible for training my soldiers to use weapons. On what legal basis do they go into operational deployment? What does it mean emotionally that they might have to have to kill a person on command? I now have to think through and discuss these difficult issues with them. If we don’t do that, we’ll end up with only half-cast soldiers. In other words: The ethical support provided during the service plays a significant role in preparing for deployment readiness. For me, it’s on a par with the ability to disassemble and reassemble your rifle.

Captain Giss, thank you very much for the interview.

The interview was conducted by Rüdiger Frank.