Germany must raise its foreign intelligence service BND to a level commensurate with the country's size and economic weight to cope with hybrid attacks from increasingly aggressive adversaries. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this at the official inauguration of the new BND head Martin Jaeger, reports "Reuters".
"Since World War II, Germany's security has rarely been so threatened," Merz said. He warned that the country is daily repelling hybrid attacks against critical infrastructure - sabotage, espionage and disinformation campaigns. "We have systemic rivals and adversaries again - and they are becoming more and more aggressive", the chancellor added, without naming specific countries.
Jaeger, a 61-year-old diplomat and former ambassador to Ukraine, takes over from long-time leader Bruno Kall. His appointment comes at a time when Germany has become the second-largest arms supplier to Kiev since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022.
European security services, including Germany's, have warned of a growing risk of hybrid attacks linked to Russia, which has routinely denied the allegations.
"Given the responsibility we bear in Europe, our goal is for the BND to work at the highest level in the fields of civil, military and technical intelligence," Merz stressed.