Narrowband  |   Broadband  |  2026-10-30

German Civil and Military Responders Test Joint Critical Communications at MURE26 Exercise

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

Almost 700 personnel stage railway accident scenario using BOS digital TETRA radio exclusively, as Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt and BDBOS showcase next-generation broadband capabilities.

Almost 700 civilian and military emergency personnel took part this week in MURE26 (Mutuality/Reciprocity), a large-scale exercise held in Upper Lusatia, Germany, designed to test communication between civilian emergency services and the armed forces. The exercise, conducted on Wednesday, centred on a staged railway accident and assessed both the interoperability of civilian and military forces and the efficiency of the supporting infrastructure in an emergency. Throughout the exercise, the participating organisations communicated solely via the BOS digital radio network.

The results of MURE26 were presented publicly at the exercise site later this week, attracting more than 100 guests. Among the visitors were Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt and Nils Hilmer, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defence, alongside government representatives from federal, state and local levels. The German press was also present in considerable numbers.

For the visit, the participating emergency services recreated key situations from the exercise. A subsequent exhibition brought together the Federal Agency for Public Safety Digital Radio (BDBOS), the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), the police, the fire brigade and the Bundeswehr, each presenting the infrastructure that contributed to the success of the exercise.

During the tour, BDBOS President Dr Christoph Hübner underlined that the next generation of broadband digital radio will enable emergency services to act even faster and save lives in future large-scale operations. Selected broadband applications, including live image transmission, were demonstrated at the exhibition, offering an early view of the capabilities expected to complement mission-critical voice in German public safety communications.