The cross-border exercise Hesse-Thuringia Exercise (HETHEX) 2026 successfully concluded on April 26. Under the leadership of the State Commands of Thuringia and Hesse, over five days German and U.S. soldiers trained together with forces from the police, fire departments, municipal authorities, and other civilian actors on central processes of civil-military cooperation.
“The exercise has once again demonstrated how important close and trusting cooperation with our civilian partners is,” summarized the commander of the Hessian State Command, Brigadier General Holger Radmann. “In particular with the emergency services such as the police, we were able to train and further improve procedures in line with Germany’s Operations Plan. This cooperation is a key building block for effective national civil protection and operational readiness in the event of an emergency.”
Communication, Cooperation and Coordination in Focus
Colonel Klaus Glaab, Commander of the Thuringia State Command, explained: “During HETHEX 2026 we, thanks to highly motivated Thuringian associations and our civilian partners in the Eichsfeld district, for the first time not only simulated but also practically experienced the cross-state and inter-agency shoulder-to-shoulder collaboration at crucial interfaces in a scenario of national defense. I am convinced that the insights gained will give momentum to the next joint steps in civil-military cooperation in Thuringia to strengthen state and alliance defense.”
At the core of the exercise was the coordination of military convoy movements – not as a simulation, but in the real environment of civilian road traffic. Bundeswehr convoys from Thuringian and Hessian units moved together with convoys of the U.S. Army along selected sections of the motorways A4, A5, A7 and A38. Especially in the period from April 24 to 26, convoy traffic increased, which was successfully integrated into existing traffic flows. Conducted nationwide for the first time in this form, HETHEX 2026 served to verify procedures and processes within the framework of the so-called “Hub of Germany.”
Establishment and Operation of a Convoy Support Center
The aim was to further strengthen cross-departmental and cross-state cooperation and to improve readiness in the event of large-scale troop redeployments. The focus in Hessen was on establishing and operating a provisional Convoy Support Center (CSC) in Remsfeld, a kind of military rest stop. The Jägerbataillon 1 from Schwarzenborn used this to refuel their GTK Boxer vehicles and to provision themselves. The Jägers were on their way to the Bergen Training Area and could thus train the procedures of a CSC, which are required during troop movements across Germany, in a realistic manner.
In addition to the Schwarzenborn Jägers, female and male soldiers from Panzergrenadierbataillon 391 in Bad Salzungen and U.S. Army Europe and Africa units with marching formations participated in HETHEX. Another focus was on integrating civilian service providers: the supply of the exercise participants was ensured at designated points by contracted civilian contractors in both states. This interplay operated smoothly and underlines the importance of functional civilian-commercial support.
HETHEX 2026 Demonstrates Effective Collaboration
The exercise clearly demonstrated how crucial coordinated communication channels and clear coordination structures are for the success of complex deployment scenarios. The tactical cooperation across administrative borders was intensively practiced and further developed. With the significant involvement of reservists, the leadership of Kreisverbindungskommandos (KVK) trained the following aspects successfully:
- Leadership and deployment of a KVK within the context of troop relocations,
- Collaboration with the Hessian State Command, marching components, as well as the Military Police (Feldjäger) forces and security authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS),
- Application of command processes under straightforward conditions,
- Organization of a continuous shift operation,
- Coordination with the Eichsfeld County as part of emergency planning, and ensuring a functioning reporting system.
According to the Bundeswehr, HETHEX 2026 vividly demonstrated that collaboration between military and civilian actors is capable and robust even under complex conditions. The insights gained will feed into the ongoing development of existing procedures and make an important contribution to strengthening overall national security preparedness. The participating organizations gave a consistently positive appraisal and regarded the exercise as an important milestone for future cooperation.
