German Parties Seek to Revise Aerial Security Act to Allow Bundeswehr to Shoot Down Suspect Drones Over Germany
German politicians from the Union and Social Democratic Party (SPD) are pushing for a revision of the Aerial Security Act to grant the Bundeswehr the authority to shoot down suspected drones over Germany.
The CDU security policy expert, Roderich Kiesewetter, emphasized the need for the Bundeswehr and security authorities to have the legal powers to shoot down or disable drones, citing the necessity to close the capability gaps in the area of drone defense and electronic warfare. Kiesewetter highlighted the need for improvement in the “jamming” aspect, referring to the use of electronic countermeasures, such as signal jamming, to disrupt communication between the pilot and the drone.
The SPD, in turn, expressed openness to the use of force against drones. Dirk Wiese, the First Parliamentary Manager of the SPD’s Bundestag faction, stated that the party had previously aimed to find a legislative solution that would provide the greatest possible level of security. Wiese welcomed the prospect of a swift and effective regulation for the detection of drones and their subsequent neutralization in a joint effort by the federal government and the states.
A draft amendment to the Aerial Security Act, prepared by the previous government, had proposed allowing the military to use force against unmanned aerial vehicles, but only as a last resort in the context of providing assistance to state-level police authorities.
Kiesewetter, however, deemed the proposed changes “inefficient” stating that they would not have prevented previous drone incursions. He suggested instead that the focus should be on revising the Bundeswehr’s authorities or considering a constitutional emergency scenario to enable an effective defense against drones, the prevention of espionage flights and the eventual shooting down of suspect drones.