Bundesminister Alexander Dobrindt announced that he intends to arm the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) with new powers to counter hybrid threats.
In a recent interview with the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (RND) the CSU politician clarified that he wants the agency to become a “real intelligence service with operational authority”.
He noted that the current designation, “Information Service” reflects the office’s primary role of collecting intelligence but is insufficient for modern counter‑measures.
Among the proposed operational capabilities are the ability to launch active defenses against foreign cyber‑attacks, to disrupt attackers, and even to destroy hostile infrastructure.
Dobrindt also seeks operational powers in the analog domain, such as preventing sensitive information from leaking into the hands of foreign powers. The federal government is currently coordinating on these plans.
To address the growing threat of hybrid tactics from both domestic and foreign sources, he stressed that all security agencies must strengthen their defensive capacities. Germany has already set up a joint hybrid‑defence centre that brings together multiple actors to devise responses to hybrid threats. This centre will be hosted within the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, following the model of the Joint Terrorism‑Countermeasures Centre.