German Bundeswehr Significantly Expands Territorial Defense Division
The Bundeswehr's territorial defense division is set to increase its personnel to over 10,000 by 2035, more than doubling its strength.
The personnel strength of the Bundeswehr's territorial defense division is to exceed 10,000 by 2035, more than doubling its size. This was announced by Major General Andreas Henne in an interview with the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) media group, published on Monday, July 20.
“Currently we are aiming for a strength of 6,500 soldiers,” Henne said. “By 2035, we will grow to well over 10,000 soldiers. As a result, the division will become twice as strong as it is today.” The general added that as part of this reinforcement, territorial defense battalions and support battalions will be formed.
According to him, the current number of soldiers and officers in the division is sufficient to ensure an initial level of combat readiness. “We can already ensure the security of infrastructure, we can already ensure freedom of movement, but not yet in a prolonged conflict situation,” Henne emphasized. As explained in the publication, the term “freedom of movement” in military terminology means ensuring the unhindered movement of troops and equipment over long distances.
The territorial defense division was established in April 2025. It currently consists of six regiments, with 390 active-duty soldiers and about 4,400 reservists. The unit's headquarters is located in Berlin and is subordinate to the Bundeswehr Army Command. The regiments are stationed in Roth (Bavaria), Münster (North Rhine-Westphalia), Nienburg (Lower Saxony), Alt Duvenstedt (Schleswig-Holstein), Möckern (Saxony-Anhalt), and Ohrdruf (Thuringia).
The division's tasks include military protection of critical infrastructure within Germany, such as ports, railway facilities, cargo transshipment points, pipelines, roads, bridges, transport interchanges, and digital and energy infrastructure. In peacetime, it can be called upon to assist in emergencies, terrorist attacks, or pandemics.
However, above all, the soldiers of this division “ensure Germany's functioning as a military 'hub' of Europe in the event that NATO troops, during a defensive war with Russia, need to be redeployed as quickly and safely as possible to the alliance's eastern flank,” RND emphasizes.
