Overview
- The federal government ran a cross-department crisis exercise on May 20 that simulated a 'Renegade'—a hijacked civilian plane—to test real‑time cabinet decision making.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz chaired a hybrid, time‑real cabinet session that reached a decision which was then implemented by the Bundeswehr and security agencies.
- An alarm rota of two Luftwaffe Eurofighter jets intercepted the simulated hijacked aircraft and escorted it to a landing at an airfield in northern Germany.
- The exercise used secure communications and the National Security Council’s mandate to link the Bundeskanzleramt, the defense and interior ministries, DFS air traffic control and the NLFZ SiLuRa command in Uedem.
- Officials say the drill showed Germany has the structures to respond quickly and could strengthen public reassurance and future readiness, while preserving legal safeguards for military involvement in airspace incidents.