07.08.2023, Berlin.
Germany needs to change its entire security architecture by creating a new intelligence service, former heads of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) August Hanning (who held the post from 1998-2005) and Gerhard Schindler (from 2012-2016) said on August 6 in a commentary for Bild am Sonntag.
The intelligence officers pointed to the “turning point” that the Chancellor had announced in relation to the Bundeswehr. This refers to a return to the classical conduct of military operations.
According to Hanning and Schindler’s assessment, the German intelligence services and, specifically, the BND have excessive control over the country. As a result, they are turning into a “toothless guard dog with a muzzle and an iron chain.”
According to the former heads of Germany’s intelligence services, it is necessary to create a “new technical service” on the model of the US National Security Agency or the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) to keep pace with their partners.
The current state of Germany’s intelligence services does not make it possible to fight terrorism effectively, the former BND heads believe. Hanning and Schindler called for the transfer to the German Defense Ministry of the authority of the Federal Chancellor’s Office to supervise the BND and for a new legal basis for radio-technical intelligence and political support for obtaining sources of information.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
