Germany may allow military to shoot down drones
Germany has recently reported an increase in the number of suspicious drone sightings
Germany is considering allowing its military to shoot down drones, a report revealed on Saturday, after recent drone incursions around Europe raised tensions with Russia.
Berlin had already announced plans to bolster its drone defence systems earlier this week to counter the growing Russian threat. Tabloid Bild reported that, among measures planned, the government was considering allowing the armed forces to shoot down drones under certain conditions.
The military should be able to intervene if a drone poses a serious danger to human life or critical infrastructure and other measures would be insufficient, the paper said. In such cases, decision-making powers would reportedly be transferred to the defence ministry. Such powers currently lie with the police.
Germany, one of Ukraine’s key backers, has reported a rise in suspicious drone sightings, including late Friday in Schleswig-Holstein near the Danish border, Interior Minister Sabine Suetterlin-Waack confirmed. Similar incidents in recent days forced temporary airport closures in Denmark and Norway, with drones also spotted above Denmark’s largest military base.
Contacted by AFP, the interior ministry did not confirm the plan but speaking to the Rheinische Post newspaper, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that he wanted to overhaul air security laws, so the military can help the police “especially in drone defence”.
When asked by news channel, Tagesschau, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said, that consultations were currently underway regarding a reform of the Federal Police Act and an amendment to the Aviation Security Act. However, he declined to comment on the details.
Following Dobrint’s announcement that he also plans to put the federal police and the Federal Criminal Police Office on standby “to enable a very quick response if necessary”, the German police union (GdP) expressed particular concern about the planned deployment of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) for drone defence purposes.
Jochen Kopelke, head of the GdP, told Handelsblatt that deploying the Bundeswehr is difficult and only possible in exceptional cases, citing the German Armed Forces’ inability to respond quickly enough to deal with so many simultaneous threats.
Instead of relying on their “lengthy administrative assistance,” Kopelke said, “a legal basis for the immediate shooting down of drones by all law enforcement agencies in Germany” is therefore necessary.
This article has been updated with the German Police Union’s reaction.
Magdalena Kensy contributed to reporting.
