Our CEO on responsibility in operational preparedness, new training concepts and the role of AI and VR in realistic operational training.
Dr Christian Endreß is an expert in homeland security, disaster management, counter-intelligence, crisis management, critical infrastructure protection and corporate security. His career includes serving on the executive board of Akademie für Sicherheit in der Wirtschaft AG and, most recently, as Senior Manager in Forensics at Deloitte. His many years of experience and specialist expertise inform every aspect of Training Base Weeze’s strategic direction.
Responsibility and guiding principle
What responsibility does Training Base Weeze have in operational preparedness?
1. Leadership capability
In general, we stress that incident command and training must focus on clarity, duty of care and maintaining operational readiness. This means a facility like Training Base Weeze is responsible for designing structures and scenarios in which leadership, teamwork and safety can be trained sustainably.
2. Handling complex hazard situations
NBC and CBRN scenarios are a must. Responders need to be realistically prepared for contamination, incorporation and the hazards of mechanical energy. In future, we will therefore need to provide even more diverse training environments where these extreme scenarios can be trained realistically and safely.
3. International responsibility
Past major incidents have shown that rescue teams must be trained and classified to international standards so they can be reliably integrated in the event of a disaster. This makes Training Base Weeze part of a global network that goes beyond purely national requirements, with a responsibility to ensure interoperability and comparability in training.
4. Social mission
Germany’s new KRITIS umbrella act puts a stronger focus on critical infrastructure. Training centres specialising in hazard prevention and response have a responsibility to align their training concepts with resilience, prevention and the protection of critical facilities.
Training Base Weeze is therefore not only a place of training, but also a platform for developing civil defence strategies further.
5. Geopolitical context
In light of international conflicts and growing hybrid threats such as sabotage, espionage and terrorism, there is an ethical and security-policy responsibility: responders must be prepared to remain capable of acting in new threat situations and to protect civil society.
Training and innovation
Which new training concepts and technologies are currently state of the art?
As a training base for emergency and security services, we see ourselves not only as a training facility, but also as a driving force and platform for advancing civil protection and homeland security. Today’s operational reality calls for training concepts that combine classic scenarios with new threats such as hybrid attacks, critical infrastructure failures or CBRN incidents.
Our responsibility is to familiarise responders with current technologies and methods under realistic, safe conditions. This includes:
A new live-fire building scenario for urban fire service operations, where techniques can be trained to cross-border standards.
Modern learning and working environments in newly created briefing and seminar rooms that support staff work and command exercises in line with FwDV 100 and international command principles.
Modern security technologies such as drones for reconnaissance, sensors for detecting chemical or radiological hazardous substances, digital incident management tools and simulations for critical infrastructure scenarios.
Innovation partnerships with technology providers that allow new systems to be tested in practice under controlled conditions. In the long term, this will make Training Base Weeze an innovation hub for the security sector.
Customised training modules that we tailor even more closely to actual needs. These include both tactical exercises and strategic scenarios in total defence and civil protection.
With these measures, we bridge the gap between operational practice, scientific expertise and technical innovation. The aim is to prepare responders to meet growing challenges in a resilient, interoperable and future-proof way.
Future and outlook
How are AI and virtual reality shaping realistic operational training?
Current developments in security policy and the political change of course are driving growing demand for high-quality training and professional development. For us, this is both an opportunity and an obligation: we want to stand alongside authorities and organisations with security tasks, safeguard their operational readiness and live up to our social responsibility – with a motivated team, a unique training site and a great deal of passion.
Artificial intelligence and virtual reality will play a key role in this. We can already map training modules virtually today, for example for reconnaissance, command decisions or experiencing complex threat situations. VR scenarios make it possible to train entire operations in an immersive environment without tying up physical infrastructure. Responders can make decisions, experience moments of stress and practise interoperability in a protected setting.
AI complements this by adapting scenarios dynamically: situation pictures can be changed in real time, participants’ actions mirrored and alternative developments simulated. The result is a learning environment that complements classic exercise formats and brings a new depth to operational preparedness.
We have made a conscious decision to use AI and VR not as a replacement for our real-world scenarios, but as a complement to them. At Training Base Weeze, hands-on experience – working in smoke, under breathing apparatus or in rubble – remains indispensable. But combining digital simulation with real exercises creates a holistic training system that is resilient, future-proof and internationally compatible.
To achieve this goal, we are currently setting up a dedicated contact point for developing and implementing AI and VR solutions. Together with partners from research, industry and the emergency and security services, we aim to set new standards and further strengthen our role as a driving force for modern security and civil protection training.
Guiding principle
Training Base Weeze has a responsibility not only to train responders technically and tactically, but also to prepare them with a view to duty of care, sustainability and social resilience. Our guiding principle is the balance between realistic toughness and protecting the people who train with us. Our aim is to be a platform and driving force for networked security, European cooperation and the protection of the population and critical infrastructure.