German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt
The new German federal police unit will have up to 130 agents, prepared to combat “hybrid threats”, including the detection and, if necessary, elimination of suspicious drones.
Germany will create a new federal unit of drone combatat a time when concerns are growing about the increase in suspicious drones fly over facilities military and critical infrastructures, announced this Tuesday the Minister of the Interior, Alexander Dobrindt.
This force will be integrated into the national structure of special operations of the federal police and will be trained and certified specifically for the detection and drone neutralizationsaid the minister, at an event on the outskirts of Berlin.
According to , the unit should have, at a later stage, up to approximately 130 agentsdistributed throughout Germany and capable of being quickly moved to critical points whenever necessary.
According to Dobrindt, Germany has budgeted more than 100 million of euros, this year and next, to anti-drone defense technologies.
The systems include sensors and jammers designed to block signals from hostile droneswith the capacity to intercept or shoot them down if necessary.
“It is an important sign that we are face hybrid threats“, stated the minister. “We are creating a clear mission to detect, intercept and, yes, also shoot down drones when necessary. We cannot accept that hybrid threats, including dronesbecome a danger to our security.”
Germany will acquire systems to both German and Israeli manufacturerswith more purchases planned in the coming months, added Dobrindt.
This week, the interior ministers of the German Federal States are also expected to decide whether to move forward with the creation of a joint center federal-regional anti-drone system, which brings together federal and regional police forces and the Armed Forces, to coordinate detection and response.
The new unit represents the most significant step taken so far by the German Government in order to create a permanent national capacity for defense against drones.
Security services have recorded hundreds of suspicious overflights of drones since the beginning of the year, including in the vicinity of barracksnaval installations and critical infrastructure.
Authorities warn that small commercial drones are being used increasingly in Europe to espionage actionstesting defenses and hybrid operations. Some European governments point the finger at Russiabut, so far, there is no conclusive evidence.
The presence of drones has also forced them to operate in several parts of Europe. Last month, the United Kingdom, France and Germany sent teams and equipment to support Belgium in combating incursions of drones around sensitive installations.
Many countries are still looking find a way to deal with these devices in a safe and legal way, as dropping them could endanger people on land.
