Critics have accused Merkel of scaremongering ahead of key elections.

Germany on Wednesday urged its population to stockpile food and water in case of terrorist or cyber attacks, as it adopted its first civil defence strategy since the end of the Cold War.

The plan marks the first broad update since 1995, when a dismantling of federal civil defence structures was advocated as security policies were eased in the wake of German reunification.

But the 69-page document warned that “the security policy environment has changed again”. Critics however accused Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “grand” right-left coalition of scaremongering ahead of key state elections in September.

And the population took to social media to deride the strategy, with the hashtag #hamsterkaeufe (squirrelling away) and photos of the furry rodent widely circulating on Twitter.

But the government argued that in a “dangerous situation a rapid and effective reaction is necessary. Therefore there must be preparations for clear planning and reaction mechanisms.” While acknowledging that “an attack on German territory requiring conventional defence is unlikely,” Europe’s biggest economy should be “sufficiently prepared in case of an existence-threatening development in the future that cannot be ruled out,” the strategy document said.

“The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, conflict driven by terrorist means and cyberspace attacks can be a direct threat to Germany and its allies,” it said.

The plan makes civilian backing of troops a priority while advocating making buildings more resilient and increasing capacity in the healthcare system.