German army approaches big firms for NATO logistics aid, Handelsblatt daily says

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German army has asked several large firms about whether they could provide logistics support if the country needs to deploy soldiers and equipment to NATO's eastern border during a crisis, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Germany - a logistical hub due to its central location in Europe - has committed to contributing 35,000 soldiers and over 200 aircraft and ships within 30 days of any major conflict as part of NATO's new model to address growing threats, particularly from Russia.

The army is approaching the firms primarily for help in moving soldiers, ammunition and military equipment in the event of an attack on NATO territory by Russia, Handelsblatt reported.

The newspaper also cited industry sources as saying discussions were underway on whether Lufthansa's flight school could take over basic training for fighter jet pilots.

Defence giant Rheinmetall, airline group Lufthansa and state-owned railway operator Deutsche Bahn were among the firms approached by the army, according to Handelsblatt.

It said the army relies on commercial transport services to a considerable extent in crisis areas.

The Bundeswehr (armed forces) referred a request for comment to the Defence Ministry, which did not immediately respond.

Lufthansa declined to comment, while Deutsche Bahn said that it was unable to provide details of military logistics.

Rheinmetall, which in February struck a deal with the German army to provide logistical support for the deployment of military forces domestically and abroad, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Germany has been increasingly focused on defence on its own soil since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 raised fears of a wider escalation on the European continent.

Days after the invasion, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a "Zeitenwende" - German for a historic turning point - with a 100-billion-euro ($114.6 billion) special fund to modernise the military.

To meet its NATO obligations, Germany's incoming government has vowed to ramp up defence spending and introduce a new military service, for now on a voluntary basis.

But the challenges of bringing Germany's long-neglected army up to speed are considerable after decades of under-investment.

German forces were drastically scaled down after the end in 1990 of the Cold War, and later trained mainly for missions such as in Afghanistan, where the adversary was poorly equipped and not an armed force with the most modern weapons.

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(Reporting by Miranda Murray; editing by; Ludwig Burger and Mark Heinrich)