Germany sets up new military division for territorial defence amid rising Russian threat

The German military will form a new division dedicated to territorial defense, the army announced on Saturday, integrating all current reserve units under direct army command.

This restructuring, which will take effect in April, will increase the number of German divisions—each consisting of about 20,000 soldiers—to four, without raising the total personnel count of approximately 180,000 in the German military.

“Territorial defense will come under army command starting April 1, 2025,” a spokesperson for the army confirmed, in line with a report from German news agency dpa.

NATO is currently on its highest alert since the Cold War, with some officials, including German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, warning that a Russian attack on its borders could happen within the next four years.

The German move will streamline command structures in territorial defence at a time when what Berlin describes as acts of Russian sabotage against the country’s critical infrastructure have reached a new high. Russia denies the accusations.

So far, Berlin has three divisions that NATO can call upon in case of a conflict, whose main job will be defending the alliance by confronting an adversary right at the front lines.

The fourth division will be tasked with Germany’s defence at home, including the protection of infrastructure such as ports, railways and supply and deployment routes.

Germany is gearing up for its role as major logistics hub in any conflict with Moscow, with tens of thousands of reinforcement troops from other NATO allies expected to be deployed east through Germany after arriving at its North Sea ports.

With inputs from agencies.