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What do war games reveal about Europe’s security future?

48:36

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July 17, 2026

What can a war game tell us about a real-world security crisis? In this episode of Berlin Briefing, DW’s Nina Haase speaks with Carolina Drüten, International Security Correspondent at WELT and creator of the podcast Ernstfall, based on a public war game simulating a Russian challenge to NATO's eastern flank and Roman Goncharenko, DW Eastern Europe Security Analyst and Correspondent.

Chapters:

00:00 A new kind of threat to NATO

03:26 Inside the WELT war game

07:05 The Baltic Scenario

10:54 Strategic blind spots in the game

16:17 Simulating Kremlin thinking

21:55 Key lesson of the exercise

25:54 Beyond the simulation: Hybrid attacks and Article 5

30:13 Germany as NATO’s logistics hub

34:31 Uncertainty around the US’ role

38:01 Real risks on NATO's Eastern flank

40:34 Future crisis scenarios

45:45 The future of war gaming and security

 

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DW Berlin Briefing

From the US elections, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to evolving European security dynamics, this video podcast explores how these events impact Germany and the wider region.

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