The German armed forces are planning how to treat potentially 1,000 wounded soldiers a day if a large-scale conflict breaks out between NATO and Russia, and amid long-standing warnings from the alliance that Moscow could be in a position to launch an attack in 2029, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Moscow has rejected any suggestions that it is preparing for war with the Western military alliance, but recent incursions by Russian aircraft and drones into NATO territory have raised concerns of escalation, Reuters points out.
Germany's chief military doctor Ralf Hoffman said that the number of wounded soldiers in a possible conflict would depend on the intensity of the fighting and which military units are involved. involved.
"Realistically, it is about 1,000 wounded soldiers per day," he told Reuters in an interview.
European armed forces, including their medical services, have stepped up their preparations for a possible conflict with Moscow after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Germany is also constantly adapting its medical training to incorporate lessons from the war in Ukraine.
"The nature of the war has changed dramatically in Ukraine," Hoffman said, citing a shift from gunshot wounds to wounds from explosions and burns caused by drones and unmanned weapons.
Ukrainian soldiers describe a corridor filled with drones that stretches about 10 km on both sides of the front line line, as a "death zone", because remotely piloted drones deployed on both sides can quickly detect and neutralize targets.
"The Ukrainians often cannot evacuate their wounded quickly enough because the drones are buzzing all over their heads," said Hoffman, emphasizing the need for prolonged stabilization of wounded soldiers – sometimes for hours – on the front line.
Hoffmann said flexible transportation options for wounded soldiers are needed, noting that Ukraine has used hospital trains. For this reason, the German army is considering hospital trains and buses and expanding medical evacuation by air, he said.
The wounded will receive initial treatment on the front line before being transported back to Germany for care, mostly in civilian hospitals, Hoffmann added.
He estimated that approximately 15,000 hospital beds are needed out of a total capacity of up to 440,000 German hospitals.
The German army's 15,000-strong medical service will be expanded to meet future needs, Hoffmann added.