At what point does enough security become too much security? That is the question many in Germany are asking themselves as the World Cup -- to be held in stadiums throughout the country from June 8 to July 8 -- quickly approaches.

On Thursday, revelations that some 2,000 soldiers from Germany's Bund army will be assisting local authorities in providing medical care, transportation, logistical assistance and protection against biological and chemical weapons is likely to add fuel to the fire. Indeed, instead of preparing for a friendly soccer tournament, it looks more like the country is getting ready for a minor war. A central emergency medical facility in Kaiserslautern, helicopters designated to transport the injured, 150,000 ready-to-eat meals, quarters for some 5,900 troops are hardly the list of preparations one expects for a sporting event.

But the World Cup, of course, isn't just any sporting event and -- like the Olympics -- there are a number of opportunities for Germany to receive the public relations equivalent of a black eye. Government officials have nightmares about the possibility of a terrorist attack and, perhaps more realistically, police officials toss and turn at night because of the threat of hooligans. Indeed, tens of thousands of police across Germany have been told they may not go on vacation during the month-long tournament and training has begun in earnest. At the same time, the police are updating their lists of known hooligans and are coordinating with police from other countries doing the same.

Some 2,400 violent fans have been forbidden from attending World Cup games and 7,000 others are being subjected to additional scrutiny. Police are also paying visits to a number of known hooligans to chat about their plans for the World Cup. The message is clear: We know who you are and we are watching closely. Germany's Central Information Center for Sports Assignment -- a law enforcement center that keeps tabs on violent fans -- has a total of 10,000 hooligans in its database. "We have the hooligans well under control," Peter Peters, CEO of the German professional team Schalke 04, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The real worry, though, comes from hooligans from abroad. Police are especially worried about Polish hooligans,  given that the Polish police don't have very complete records on violent soccer fans there. Indeed, Polish and German hooligans recently even organized a "practice fight" in the forest near the border town of Frankfurt an der Oder.

Yet despite the very real dangers, there has been no shortage of vocal criticism against the extreme attention on security. German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble of the Christian Democratic Union has been intensely criticized by political parties across the spectrum for supporting an even greater military presence within Germany during the tournament. He would like to see soldiers protecting the stadiums.