According to the German armed forces (Bundeswehr) their upcoming training area for urban warfare „Schnöggersburg“ in Saxony-Anhalt will be the largest in Europe. Now its core part, designed as an „old quarter“ within the whole concept has been inaugurated.
Blessing of the new training city for urban warfare – photo: Björn Müller (all rights reserved)
Schnöggersburg is been build since 2012, should be finished till the end of 2020. By then it will be consist of more than 500 buildings streched over 6,25 square kilometers. The so called „urban agglomeration“ as the Bundeswehr labeled its training ground, has a whole city infrastructure – e. g. a canalisation, an underground line, a train station, an industrial park, as well as a sport stadion, slums, residential areas and a high-rise district. The German MoD invests 140 million Euros into the project. According to lieutnant-general Frank Leidenberger, head of the land forces innovation-department, the last decade shows the clear trend, that „warfare moves from the field to the cities.“ Therefore Schnöggersburg should give the German armed forces a surpreme training ground for state of the art operations in urban scenarios. Leidenberger says also that the Bundeswehr considers its new hugh training city as a strategic ressource to push the framework nation concept with partner armies.
Some pics from the inauguration day:
With Canada committed to a long-term NATO presence in Latvia, it would make sense to conduct joint training exercises at Schoeggersburg. This would be cost-effective given their on-going presence close-by.