Germany is planning a scenario where ~1,000 wounded NATO troops will arrive daily if Russia attacks NATO territory (estimated to be possible by 2029).

Germany is planning a scenario where ~1,000 wounded NATO troops will arrive daily if Russia attacks NATO territory (estimated to be possible by 2029).

With only 5 military hospitals, civilian hospitals would be overwhelmed - needing about 15,000 of Germany's 440,000 beds.

A Cold War nuclear bunker under a hospital in Ulm (holds 2,000 people for 90 days) is under review for reactivation.

The main problem is not beds but people: only a few hundred German doctors have experience with wartime injuries.

The Bundeswehr held its largest medical exercise in decades in March 2026, and the Health Security Act is coming this fall to create real-time tracking of beds, drugs and staff.

Officials are blunt that the system is not ready yet.

Source: Bloomberg