The German government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz is considering measures to limit access by members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to the country’s classified operational defense plan, known as OPLAN Deutschland.
The roughly 1,000-page document was drawn up in 2024 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It outlines actions by federal and state authorities and coordination with NATO in the event of a military crisis or an attack on the alliance’s eastern flank. The full version of the plan is available to the leaders of all 16 federal states.
The move follows elections in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD won about 44 percent of the vote and 39 of 83 seats in the state parliament. The party is trying to form a state government. Officials in Berlin fear that if the AfD takes power in the state, sensitive sections of the plan dealing with NATO troop logistics and defense against Russia could reach Moscow. The party is widely viewed in Germany as pro-Russian.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has previously discussed with coalition lawmakers the possibility of withdrawing the document from the state premier’s office or limiting updates to it. Options under consideration include selectively restricting access to information about Russia and far-right groups — either for Saxony-Anhalt alone or for all states, in order to comply with constitutional rules. A complete ban on intelligence sharing is not planned, so as not to undermine state authorities’ ability to prevent terrorist attacks.
The Defense Ministry stresses the “need-to-know” principle: each agency receives only the information required to carry out its tasks. Officially, the ministry has said it does not intend to change the overall handling of the plan. Discussions nonetheless continue among federal and state interior ministers.
AfD critics, including Reservists Association president Bastian Ernst (CDU), have warned that if the party leads the government in Magdeburg, the plan would “almost certainly leak to Russia.” The AfD rejects the accusations and calls them political persecution. No final decision has been made.
