Germany Plans 10 Billion Euro Civil Defense Overhaul Including Shelter Registry and Civil Defense Command

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on May 18 announced €10 billion ($12 billion) for civil defense investment through 2029, with the cabinet set to vote on specific measures Wednesday 123. The package, committed under Germany's 2025 debt-brake exemption for security spending, funds roughly 1,000 specialized vehicles, 110,000 portable cots, reinforced THW infrastructure, and federal rapid-response medical task forces to be positioned at more than 50 locations nationwide for mass-casualty response 23. Bild, which first reported the plans, said the ministry will catalog bunkers, tunnels, and underground parking garages into a national shelter registry linked to the NINA warning app, establish a new Civil Defence Command within the ministry to coordinate with the Bundeswehr, and mandate civil defense scenarios be incorporated into school curricula 12. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius welcomed the proposal, telling reporters Germany had underinvested in civil defense for roughly 30 years 12.