In a somewhat unexpected change of heart, the German government, by way of Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung , has allowed the German army (Bundeswehr) to patrol and secure the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament? Fu?ball Welt Meisterschaft 2006– which is being called the “world’s biggest sporting event” and will run from June 9 through July 9 . The 7,000-strong military contingent has been authorized to support the police presence to protect “our population and the guests of the World Cup” against “Catastrophe, misfortune, and terrorist attacks,” according to Bild am Sontag, during the 64- match tournament that begins at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. This is likely to include EOD specialists and K-9s, paramedics, CBRNE experts, and various emergency aircraft, including five to nine CH-53 rescue Air Force helicopters, four UH-1D KSK Special Forces helicopters, and two MK 41 Sea King Marine rescue helicopters. This also is an explicit indication that, per WWII tragedy, the German military will not be guarding the stadiums or the meeting sites, as is contrary to the German constitution, which bars such military involvement in domestic affairs with the exception of a “special crisis or catastrophe,” according to Reuters. Original presumptions were that the military would be banned from supporting and guarding domestic events, a decision heralded from oppressive measures taken by the Bundeswehr during WWII. However, as security efforts began to materialize, it became evident that the police force would be unable to guarantee safety should a significant event occur. As a result, some 2,000 soldiers had been placed on standby for the event. The Social Democrats, the opposition party, remains staunchly opposed to involving the army in domestic affairs and vows to oppose any measure to change the constitution, and this debate has certainly not abated in Germany. However, in addition to the German military’s involvement, British security forces will also be represented for security.
While there has been no indication as yet of any terrorist attention paid to the World Cup, the Defense Ministry, according to the Bild am Sontag interview, contends that “natural catastrophes and especially serious misfortunes during the World Cup will not be ruled out.” The German government is particularly concerned about CBN attacks against the Cup; decontamination, analytic, and WMD medical specialists will be on hand at matches, and biolabs and emergency clinics will also be deployed. Further, what should be anticipated are hooligans, especially from the UK, Poland , and Italy , who are likely to cause personal and property damage while intoxicated. In the aftermath of some of the more violent hooliganism, national authorities have begun to share information on known hooligans (as with terrorism, see this WAR Report) and have prevented thousands from entering countries during contentious games.
A full translation of the Bild am Sontag article can be made available by request.
