The German military has tightened security measures around barracks in the country in response to reports of possible intruders.
A spokeswoman for the Territorial Command told dpa that the Bundeswehr, as the German military is known, “responded quickly and comprehensively to the incidents of the past week throughout Germany with increased controls, increased patrols, inspections of fences and technical security measures, the closure of some areas and with up-to-date security instructions and awareness measures.”
She said the measures would be adapted to the specific security situation.
According to the weekly Der Spiegel, the Bundeswehr barracks were ordered to check the outer fences of all complexes for possible holes and to patrol more often, especially at night.
According to a report by Der Spiegel, officers instructed soldiers to be on the lookout for unauthorized persons in the security zones and to report suspicious cases immediately.
The Territorial Command spokeswoman also confirmed that on August 14, two men had climbed over the fence of the German naval base in the North Sea port city of Wilhelmshaven.
After the men were discovered by a guard, they were handed over to police, she said.
According to Der Spiegel, which first reported the incident, the men were reportedly sailors working on a nearby moored ship who apparently wanted to get a closer look at the German warships.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence told dpa that the lowest of the four security levels, ‘alpha’, still applies to Bundeswehr facilities in the country.
Last week, the Bundeswehr announced that no evidence of sabotage or water contamination was found during an investigation after a cut fence was found at the drinking water supply of the Cologne-Wahn air base.
And people in the town of Mechernich, which also has a Bundeswehr site in the same state, were warned not to use the water for a while when a cut fence was discovered at a drinking water reservoir last week. The warning was later lifted.
Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Germany has seen multiple incidents of suspected sabotage. Concerns have grown in the country that Russian agents are targeting critical infrastructure or military facilities.
