3 questions for
Dr. Christian Endress
As CEO of Europe's largest training base, Dr. Christian Endreß bears a special responsibility. In this dialogue, he provides insights into his views and the future challenges in mission preparation.
Dr. Christian Endress
Dr. Christian Endreß is a respected expert in internal security, disaster control, counterintelligence, crisis management, critical infrastructure protection, and corporate security. During his career, he has served as a board member of the Academy for Security in Business AG and, most recently, as a senior manager in the forensic division at Deloitte.
His many years of experience and professional expertise will be incorporated into all of our strategic alignment processes.
01
Responsibility and guiding principle
What responsibility does Europe's largest training base have in operation preparation?
1. Leadership skills
In general, we emphasize that operational management and training must be focused on clarity, care, and maintaining operational capability. This means that a facility such as the Training Base Weeze has a responsibility to design structures and scenarios in such a way that leadership, teamwork, and safety can be trained in a sustainable manner.
2. Dealing with complex hazardous situations
In view of the growing number of hazardous situations, the responsible handling of ABC and CBRN scenarios is part of our duty. Here, it is important to prepare emergency services for contamination, incorporation, and the dangers of mechanical energy in a realistic manner. In the future, we must therefore provide even more diverse training environments in which these extreme scenarios can be trained realistically and safely.
3. International responsibility
Past major disasters underscore the need for rescue teams to be trained and classified according to international standards so that 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. It is responsible for ensuring interoperability and comparability in training.
4. Social mission
The new “KRITIS-Dachgesetz” (CER Law implemented in Germany) places greater emphasis on critical infrastructures. Training centers specializing in hazard prevention are responsible for focusing their training concepts on resilience, prevention, and the protection of critical facilities.
The Training Base Weeze is therefore not only a training location, but also a platform for the further development of civil defense strategies.
5. Geopolitical context
In view of international conflicts and growing hybrid threats, such as sabotage, espionage and terrorism, there is an ethical and security policy responsibility:
emergency services must be prepared in order to remain capable of acting in new threat situations and to protect civil society.
02
Training and innovation
What new training concepts and technologies are currently state of the art?
As Europe's largest training base for emergency services, we see ourselves not only as a training center, but also as a source of inspiration and a platform for the further development of civil protection and internal security. Modern operational realities require training concepts that combine classic scenarios with new threat situations such as hybrid attacks, critical infrastructure failures, or CBRN events.
It is our responsibility to familiarize emergency services with the latest technologies and methods under realistic, safe conditions.
These include
- A new real-fire high-rise building scenario for urban fire departments, where cross-border standard techniques can be trained.
- Modern learning and working environments in newly created briefing and seminar rooms that support staff work and leadership exercises in accordance with the FwDV 100 and international leadership principles.
- Integration of modern security technologies, such as drone technology for reconnaissance, sensors for detecting chemical or radiological hazards, digital situation management tools, and simulations for critical infrastructure scenarios.
- Innovation partnerships with technology providers that enable new systems to be tested in practice under controlled conditions. This will make the Weeze Training Base an innovation center for the security sector in the future.
- Customized training modules that we tailor even more closely to actual needs. This includes tactical exercises and strategic scenarios in the areas of total defense and civil protection.
With these measures, we are building a bridge between operational practice, scientific expertise, and technical innovation. The goal is to prepare emergency services, that they can meet growing challenges in a resilient, interoperable, and future-proof manner.
03
Future and outlook
What influence will AI and virtual reality have on realistic operational training?
Current developments in security policy and the change in political course are leading to increasing demand for high-quality training and further education. For us, this is both an opportunity and an obligation:
We want to stand alongside the authorities and organizations with security tasks, ensure their operational readiness and live up to our social responsibility - with a motivated team, a unique training ground and a lot of passion.
Artificial intelligence and virtual reality will play a key role in this. We are already able to virtually simulate training modules, for example for situation assessment, leadership decisions, or experiencing complex threat scenarios. VR scenarios make it possible to train entire operational situations in an immersive environment without having to use physical infrastructure. This allows emergency personnel to make decisions, experience stressful situations, and practice interoperability under protected conditions.
AI complements this by dynamically adapting scenarios: situation reports can be changed in real time, the actions of exercise participants can be mirrored, and alternative developments can be simulated. This creates a learning environment that complements traditional forms of training and adds a new level of depth to operational preparation.
We have made a conscious decision to use AI and VR not as a replacement, but as a supplement to our real scenarios. On the grounds of Training Base Weeze, practical experience, working in smoke, under respiratory protection or in rubble remain indispensable. However, the combination of digital simulation and real exercises creates a holistic training system - resilient, future-proof and internationally compatible.
To achieve this goal, we are currently establishing our own contact point for the development and implementation of AI and VR solutions. Together with partners from research, industry, and emergency services, we want to set new standards and further strengthen our role as a driving force for modern safety and civil protection training.
Guiding principle
Training Base Weeze is responsible not only for training emergency services personnel in technical and tactical skills, but also for preparing them in terms of care, sustainability, and social resilience. The guiding principle is to strike a balance between realistic hardship and the protection of the people who are training. The aim is to be a platform and driving force for networked security, European cooperation, and the protection of the population and critical infrastructure.
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TRAINING BASE WEEZE
Training Base Weeze stands for a multidisciplinary training campus. With a total area of over 60 hectares, it is the largest BOS training center of its kind in Europe.
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