Germany Empowers Police to Shoot Down Drones Amid Rising ‘Hybrid Threat’ :de:

The German Federal Government has approved critical amendments to the Federal Police Act and the Aviation Security Act, significantly expanding the legal authority of the Federal Police to counter the growing threat posed by unauthorized drones. This decisive action, spearheaded by Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, comes in response to what he characterized as a “growing hybrid threat situation involving espionage and sabotage,” particularly after recent drone sightings caused major disruptions at German airports and were reported over critical infrastructure.
The cabinet approved the draft legislation, which now awaits parliamentary approval, explicitly authorizing the police to neutralize drones violating German airspace, especially in cases of acute threat or where drones pose a serious danger to human life or critical infrastructure.
The New Powers of the Federal Police
The changes grant the Federal Police the legal basis and authority to employ a comprehensive range of technical and physical measures to defend against unauthorized and unidentified drones.
The specific counter-drone capabilities authorized under the new legislation include:
◦ Electronic Warfare: Utilizing technical means against the drone system, its control unit, or its control link. This encompasses techniques like electromagnetic pulses, signal jamming, and GPS interference to sever the drone’s connection to its operator or disable its navigation.
◦ Physical Interventions: In cases where other measures are futile or significantly impeded, the police are now explicitly authorized to use physical measures, including intercepting and shooting down drones. This capability is crucial for high-threat scenarios but is challenging to implement safely in densely populated urban areas.
The Interior Minister stated that the goal is to develop new responses that mean “detecting, defending against, and intercepting drones – which naturally also includes shooting them down.”
Protecting Critical National Sites
The German Federal Police will focus their enhanced counter-drone responsibilities on protecting key areas of national importance. Their core responsibilities will specifically include defending:
◦ Airports: The need for this power was recently underscored when drone sightings forced the closure of Munich Airport, Germany’s second-largest, for several hours, stranding thousands of passengers.
◦ Train Stations: Key hubs and infrastructure points within the national railway network.
◦ Federal Government Institutions: Sensitive sites related to the national government.
Beyond these core sites, the Federal Police will also provide drone defense support to local state police forces across the country through administrative assistance arrangements, ensuring a coordinated national response capability.
The Hybrid Threat and Military Assistance
Minister Dobrindt stressed that the legal amendments are necessary to respond to a changing security environment, citing the “growing hybrid threat” that involves suspected espionage and sabotage. Recent incidents, including reports of unidentified drones systematically surveilling critical infrastructure in the state of Schleswig-Holstein—targeting sites like power plants, naval shipyards, and oil refineries—have galvanized the government into action.
A crucial component of the new strategy involves integrating the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) into the national anti-drone defense structure. Under Germany’s constitution, the military’s involvement in domestic security operations is highly restricted and usually requires a state of emergency.
The new legislation seeks to provide a legal basis to allow the Bundeswehr to assist police forces in drone defense “as part of mutual assistance.” This provision is intended to overcome the current legal fragmentation, which prevents the Bundeswehr from intervening against drones over civilian infrastructure, such as airports or industrial sites, even if a serious threat exists. The government aims to pool capabilities to ensure a rapid and effective response when civilian police capacity is inadequate.
A Unified National Defense Strategy
To facilitate this crucial coordination, the government will establish a joint drone defense center. This national hub will serve as a central point for:
◦ Information Exchange: Coordinating intelligence between federal and state governments.
◦ Threat Analysis: Conducting systematic assessments of the drone threat situation.
◦ Operational Coordination: Facilitating the deployment and coordination of counter-drone measures across all relevant security agencies.
The reforms place Germany alongside other European nations, including Britain, France, and Lithuania, that have recently granted their security forces explicit legal powers to neutralize rogue drones, recognizing the urgent need to secure national airspace against sophisticated, non-traditional threats. The move signifies Germany’s commitment to equipping its law enforcement with the state-of-the-art technology and legal authority required to maintain security in an increasingly complex environment.