Germany Moves to Expand Spy Agency Powers Against Hybrid Threats

Germany's federal cabinet has approved draft legislation that would significantly expand the operational powers of the country's intelligence services. The proposed reforms, which now move to parliament for approval, are designed to strengthen both the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the domestic intelligence agency (BfV) in the face of what officials describe as a growing and acute threat from foreign powers and extremists.

The move comes as Germany seeks to reduce its dependence on intelligence shared by allied nations. Nina Warken, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's chief of staff, noted that Germany is currently too reliant on the support of other countries' intelligence agencies, calling the current situation a "one-way street" in many areas.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the goal is to develop Germany's agencies into "real intelligence services" that are competitive with partner services in the European Union and beyond. He highlighted that Germany is a daily target of espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, and covert actions aimed at destabilizing the country.

Under the planned reform, the intelligence services would gain new authority to access laptops, cellphones, and other devices, as well as to store collected data. They would also be empowered to take "active measures" to disrupt threats. This could include swapping components in deliveries for faulty ones, accessing IT systems of drone factories or chemical weapons laboratories to sabotage them, or disabling servers used by hackers or disinformation agents linked to foreign states. Dobrindt also mentioned the possibility of exchanging explosives for harmless substances.

The urgency of the reform was underscored last week by the discovery of an explosives-laden drone at Leipzig/Halle airport, a major freight hub. The incident is under investigation, and authorities have not yet identified a responsible party. While officials did not name specific nations, Russia's activities have been a persistent concern for European security agencies in recent years.