Latest news with #bunker
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Germany plans rapid expansion of outdated bunkers amid fears of Russian aggression
A Cold War-era former West German government bunker near the town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany, is pictured on April CNN Newsource Germany's aging and decrepit bunker network is in need a major overhaul, according to the head of the federal agency tasked with nationwide civil protection in case of an attack. The Federal Agency for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) President Ralph Tiesler said in an interview with popular German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 'For a long time, there was a widespread belief in Germany that war was not a scenario we needed to prepare for. That has changed. We are concerned about the risk of a major war of aggression in Europe.' Tiesler's words represent a real fear, echoed across Europe, that Russia could try to mount an attack on Europe again within four years. That timeframe is widely regarded as the minimum period Russia would need to rearm after fighting a bloody and long campaign in Ukraine. Germany only has 580 bunkers, many of them not operational, the newspaper report said. That number is down from nearly 2,000 that existed during the Cold War. Just 5% of the German population would currently be able to seek shelter in the event of an attack, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported. Germany's population is about 83 million people. The civil protection agency chief said that he will upgrade tunnels, metro stations, underground garages and basements of public buildings to 'quickly create one million shelter spaces,' as well as expand the nation's siren and notification systems. Tiesler said his agency will be presenting a full plan for the revamp and expansion in the summer but added that funding still needed to be secured. 'New bunker systems with very high protection requirements cost a lot of money and time,' said Tiesler. He noted that the BBK will likely require 'at least' 10 billion euros ($11billion) in the next four years and a further 30 billion euros ($34 billion) in the following 10 years to complete the overhaul. There is some cause for optimism, though, for the German agency. Friedrich Merz, before officially becoming chancellor, managed to unlock half a trillion euros ($570 billion) in spending for Germany's defense, some of which the BBK would be eligible to receive. However, given the scale of the task of updating the German armed forces the allocation of money may be prioritized elsewhere. Merz recently vowed to make Germany's army the strongest in Europe, but in order to meet that pledge, he will be required to spend huge sums of money to modernize, train and equip soldiers. A report released earlier this year from the parliament's armed forces commission pointed out that the German army has 'too little of everything.' It has long been underfunded, and much of the basic infrastructure of the army, including barracks, is well below standard, the Bundestag report said. It also comes as the army struggles to meet recruitment targets. In 2018, Germany committed to boosting its standing forces to 203,000 by 2025 — a target date that was later revised to 2031. The current standing size of the Germany army is just 181,000. Merz's government is mulling the possibility of introducing mandatory military service. The issue of manpower also concerns Tiesler and the BBK. 'We lack personnel in an emergency,' he told the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. 'Perhaps we need a mandatory military service or a voluntary civil defense service… One that allows the choice between civilian and military service for the country,' he said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Germany plans rapid expansion of outdated bunkers amid fears of Russian aggression
Germany's aging and decrepit bunker network is in need a major overhaul, according to the head of the federal agency tasked with nationwide civil protection in case of an attack. The Federal Agency for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) President Ralph Tiesler said in an interview with popular German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 'For a long time, there was a widespread belief in Germany that war was not a scenario we needed to prepare for. That has changed. We are concerned about the risk of a major war of aggression in Europe.' Tiesler's words represent a real fear, echoed across Europe, that Russia could try to mount an attack on Europe again within four years. That timeframe is widely regarded as the minimum period Russia would need to rearm after fighting a bloody and long campaign in Ukraine. Germany only has 580 bunkers, many of them not operational, the newspaper report said. That number is down from nearly 2,000 that existed during the Cold War. Just 5% of the German population would currently be able to seek shelter in the event of an attack, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported. Germany's population is about 83 million people. The civil protection agency chief said that he will upgrade tunnels, metro stations, underground garages and basements of public buildings to 'quickly create one million shelter spaces,' as well as expand the nation's siren and notification systems. Tiesler said his agency will be presenting a full plan for the revamp and expansion in the summer but added that funding still needed to be secured. 'New bunker systems with very high protection requirements cost a lot of money and time,' said Tiesler. He noted that the BBK will likely require 'at least' 10 billion euros ($11billion) in the next four years and a further 30 billion euros ($34 billion) in the following 10 years to complete the overhaul. There is some cause for optimism, though, for the German agency. Friedrich Merz, before officially becoming chancellor, managed to unlock half a trillion euros ($570 billion) in spending for Germany's defense, some of which the BBK would be eligible to receive. However, given the scale of the task of updating the German armed forces the allocation of money may be prioritized elsewhere. Merz recently vowed to make Germany's army the strongest in Europe, but in order to meet that pledge, he will be required to spend huge sums of money to modernize, train and equip soldiers. A report released earlier this year from the parliament's armed forces commission pointed out that the German army has 'too little of everything.' It has long been underfunded, and much of the basic infrastructure of the army, including barracks, is well below standard, the Bundestag report said. It also comes as the army struggles to meet recruitment targets. In 2018, Germany committed to boosting its standing forces to 203,000 by 2025 — a target date that was later revised to 2031. The current standing size of the Germany army is just 181,000. Merz's government is mulling the possibility of introducing mandatory military service. The issue of manpower also concerns Tiesler and the BBK. 'We lack personnel in an emergency,' he told the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. 'Perhaps we need a mandatory military service or a voluntary civil defense service… One that allows the choice between civilian and military service for the country,' he said.
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Germany plans rapid expansion of outdated bunkers amid fears of Russian aggression
Germany's aging and decrepit bunker network is in need a major overhaul, according to the head of the federal agency tasked with nationwide civil protection in case of an attack. The Federal Agency for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) President Ralph Tiesler said in an interview with popular German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 'For a long time, there was a widespread belief in Germany that war was not a scenario we needed to prepare for. That has changed. We are concerned about the risk of a major war of aggression in Europe.' Tiesler's words represent a real fear, echoed across Europe, that Russia could try to mount an attack on Europe again within four years. That timeframe is widely regarded as the minimum period Russia would need to rearm after fighting a bloody and long campaign in Ukraine. Germany only has 580 bunkers, many of them not operational, the newspaper report said. That number is down from nearly 2,000 that existed during the Cold War. Just 5% of the German population would currently be able to seek shelter in the event of an attack, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported. Germany's population is about 83 million people. The civil protection agency chief said that he will upgrade tunnels, metro stations, underground garages and basements of public buildings to 'quickly create one million shelter spaces,' as well as expand the nation's siren and notification systems. Tiesler said his agency will be presenting a full plan for the revamp and expansion in the summer but added that funding still needed to be secured. 'New bunker systems with very high protection requirements cost a lot of money and time,' said Tiesler. He noted that the BBK will likely require 'at least' 10 billion euros ($11billion) in the next four years and a further 30 billion euros ($34 billion) in the following 10 years to complete the overhaul. There is some cause for optimism, though, for the German agency. Friedrich Merz, before officially becoming chancellor, managed to unlock half a trillion euros ($570 billion) in spending for Germany's defense, some of which the BBK would be eligible to receive. However, given the scale of the task of updating the German armed forces the allocation of money may be prioritized elsewhere. Merz recently vowed to make Germany's army the strongest in Europe, but in order to meet that pledge, he will be required to spend huge sums of money to modernize, train and equip soldiers. A report released earlier this year from the parliament's armed forces commission pointed out that the German army has 'too little of everything.' It has long been underfunded, and much of the basic infrastructure of the army, including barracks, is well below standard, the Bundestag report said. It also comes as the army struggles to meet recruitment targets. In 2018, Germany committed to boosting its standing forces to 203,000 by 2025 — a target date that was later revised to 2031. The current standing size of the Germany army is just 181,000. Merz's government is mulling the possibility of introducing mandatory military service. The issue of manpower also concerns Tiesler and the BBK. 'We lack personnel in an emergency,' he told the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. 'Perhaps we need a mandatory military service or a voluntary civil defense service… One that allows the choice between civilian and military service for the country,' he said.
Zawya
29-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Singapore fuel oil stockpiles at four-week highs
SINGAPORE - Onshore fuel oil stockpiles at key trading hub Singapore recovered to their highest in four weeks despite lower imports being recorded, data showed on Thursday. Residual fuel inventories were at 22.34 million barrels (about 3.52 million metric tons) in the week to May 28, up 3.9% week-on-week, Enterprise Singapore data showed. Bunker demand has been largely tepid, according to several trade sources, which limited inventory drawdowns. Fuel oil imports into onshore tanks fell 18% from the previous week to 686,000 tons, with most imports hailing from Russia. Meanwhile, total fuel oil exports rose 7% to more than 331,000 tons. Most volumes were headed for China, excluding regional storage hub Malaysia. Asia remains amply supplied this month, with arrivals in May totalling about 5.5 million tons and climbing from April, according to LSEG Oil Research. Singapore spot differentials for low-sulphur fuel oil have softened this week, while high-sulphur fuel oil differentials recovered slightly. Week to May. 28, Fuel oil (in Total Total Net metric tons) Imports Exports Imports AUSTRALIA 82,716 0 82,716 BANGLADESH 0 20,053 -20,053 CHINA 0 69,048 -69,048 CONGO 73,832 0 73,832 INDIA 0 180 -180 INDONESIA 30,417 0 30,417 KOREA 55 0 55 KUWAIT 55,411 0 55,411 MALAYSIA 109,379 242,101 -132,721 NEPAL 0 19 -19 NETHERLANDS 2,088 0 2,088 NIGERIA 78,921 0 78,921 RUSSIA 238,714 0 238,714 VIETNAM 14,911 0 14,911 TOTAL 686,443 331,402 355,042
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Cold War tunnels to have rare public opening
A World War Two bunker under Dover Castle, which was on standby for use during the Cold War, is to open for two rare public tours. In the early 1960s the government selected the cliff top site as one of 12 Regional Seats of Government in the event that London was bombed. It was known as Dumpy Level and housed office and communications facilities as well as a BBC Studio from where hourly broadcasts would be made. As part of Cold War Heritage Weekend the site will open to limited number of pre-booked visitors on Sunday and Tuesday. The complex was sealed against contamination and given air filtration in order to stop pockets of bad air from gathering. It was never used. Kathryn Bedford, curator for English Heritage which now manages the site, said: "Everywhere you walk down here you can hear the constant sound of the air conditioning. "People who worked here said it was never silent. It also helped with damp and it's not cold." The site was decommissioned in the early 1980s and most of the equipment removed. Ms Bedford said: "When you look at sites like this it's often the paintwork that tells you where things would have been. "In the main planning room, it's a double-storey space with a curved ceiling. "The paper is peeling off and the floor is hollow where a giant map would have been." Wooden covered ducts along the floors would have housed communications cables. The idea was not that people would live in Dumpy for any length of time, but they would co-ordinate life above ground for when it was safe to return. There was also a BBC Studio from where a wartime broadcasting system would operate, playing out tapes of comedy shows to keep spirits up. "There would be an on-the-hour announcement asking people to stay in their homes and to continue to listen to the radio for further news but to turn it off between times to save batteries," said Ms Bedford. Radio Four newsreader Peter Donaldson recorded the last warning announcement and it was played at his funeral in 2015. The studios are now mostly empty. Modern safety regulations mean that Dumpy Level cannot currently be permanently open to the public. Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Castle project offers medieval siege-themed play area Soldier graffiti may show Napoleon hanged - castle Dover Castle
