Article 87 a (4) of the Basic Law – domestic emergency situation

Domestic deployments in the event of a domestic emergency are governed by Article 87a (4) of the Basic Law. This article allows the Federal Government to deploy armed forces to support the police and Federal Police in averting an imminent danger to the existence or free democratic basic order of the Federation or a federal state, if the federal state at risk is not prepared or capable of countering the threat itself, and if the capacities of the federal state police forces and the Federal Police are not sufficient. In this case, the armed forces may be deployed to assist in protecting civilian objects and in combatting organised and military armed insurgents.