16/07/2026
FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2026
MÖNCHENGLADBACH CITY POST
RHEINISCHE POST MÖNCHENGLADBACH'S LARGEST NEWSPAPER
The German Armed Forces have specified their plans for the former military site in western Mönchengladbach. However, it will still be some time before a final decision is made. Here's what we know so far.
BY CARSTEN PFARR
MÖNCHENGLADBACH Former military sites in Mönchengladbach could be used in the future for the accommodation and training of new conscripts. This is according to a statement from the Federal Ministry of Defense. The statement indicates that the Joint Headquarters (JHQ), along with the Wegberg Complex, are among the eight properties that are particularly well-suited for these purposes and have already been used for military purposes in the past
In total, the German Armed Forces and the Federal Agency for Real Estate (BImA) examined more than 200 properties throughout Germany. Some were not selected, others are still being reviewed. This process is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Only then will a decision be made as to whether the properties in Mönchengladbach will actually be used for the new military service. The same applies to the areas in Boostedt (Schleswig-Holstein), Cuxhaven (Lower Saxony), Speyer (Rhineland-Palatinate), Kusel (Rhineland-Palatinate), Friedberg (Hesse), Sigmaringen (Baden-Württemberg), and Soest (North Rhine-Westphalia), which were also deemed suitable
Background: The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) want to grow. By 2035, they are to have at least 260,000 temporary and career soldiers, as well as 200,000 reservists. These armed forces need space, which the Bundeswehr currently lacks. Therefore, they have been searching for potentially suitable properties – and have halted the sale or conversion of former military sites. This was in October 2025. Forty properties, including the Lower Rhine Barracks, where a bus depot is being built, have since been
pointed out that the "review and decision-making processes are not yet complete" and cannot be anticipated. The question of land use is also still open
The spokesperson left the question unanswered. In November, the federal government had stated that two sections of the JHQ, totaling approximately 150 hectares, were to be used by the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces). The remaining areas can be used by the state and customs. The state already operates a reception center for refugees at the JHQ, conducts police training there, and also plans to build a deportation detention center. Federal customs also trains on the extensive grounds.
This archive photo from 2021 shows the JHQ from the air. The military area in the west of the city covers several hundred hectares. PHOTO: KARL PETER WIEMER/MÖNCHENGLADBACH CITY ARCHIVES
JHQ could be used for conscripts
released, as the ministry now announces. The remaining 174 are still under investigation
Exactly how the JHQ main site, which has been vacant for more than ten years, and the Wegberg complex, where the old hospital is currently being demolished, are to be used is still unclear. The Federal Ministry of Defense refers to it as a "training area." Whether this will result in new construction or the reactivation of barracks buildings, whether soldiers will be stationed in Mönchengladbach, and what exercises will potentially be conducted at the JHQ, a ministry spokesperson declined to answer when asked.
Mönchengladbach's Mayor Felix Heinrichs (SPD) welcomes the fact that a decision is expected by the end of the year: "We quickly need clarity on what exactly can take place at the JHQ on Mönchengladbach city territory and the former RAF military hospital on Wegberg city territory."
He also emphasizes, however, that the loss of the JHQ as commercial space for structural change leaves a large gap in our development plan, which we
trying to compensate for it." The city respects the needs of the German Armed Forces: "We share responsibility for the defense of our country within the NATO partnership."
Should barracks be built at the JHQ to accommodate conscripts and other soldiers, Heinrichs sees added value in the city through the people and jobs. CDU state parliament member Jochen Klenner also speaks of a "revitalization." "It's good when people come to the JHQ and thus to the city. That also brings economic benefits, although not nearly as much as with an
industrial park."
The Federal Ministry states that "site dialogues" are to take place before a final decision is made on the military reactivation, in order to include local interests in the planning and to take them into account as far as possible. When exactly this will happen is still unclear. It is also unknown how quickly the first conscripts could start at JHQ. The spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defense also left this question unanswered by our editorial team. The Ministry writes in its statement that potential new Bundeswehr locations can be "quickly" returned to military use if necessary.
