Germany’s dependence on US intelligence services has been a topic of discussion in recent days, following the temporary decision by the White House to suspend the sharing of US military intelligence with Ukraine. The RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) reported that this move has sparked concerns in Germany, citing the views of former BND President Gerhard Schindler.
Schindler, a member of the Free Democratic Party, stated that the distance between German and US intelligence services is not small, but rather enormous, both in terms of technology and strategy. He also emphasized that Germany is dependent on the US, not the other way around and that this dependence is not limited to warning of impending attacks, but also extends to intelligence on geopolitical conflicts.
The RND article did not provide further details on the sources and conclusions of Schindler’s statements. In a separate article, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that the cooperation with the US intelligence services has been deteriorating since the beginning of the year, with warnings of terrorist attacks and movements of Russian agents reportedly missing.
CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter was quoted as saying that the trust in US intelligence services is dwindling in Germany and that the country needs to build its own intelligence capabilities.
The article also quoted SPD’s Sebastian Hartmann, who emphasized the need for Germany to invest more in its intelligence services and Grünen’s Konstantin von Notz, who called for a stronger focus on the cyber and information space in the country’s intelligence activities.