Berlin is moving to transform its intelligence apparatus. On Wednesday, the German cabinet approved a sweeping reform package that will give the country's spy agencies significantly broader authority to conduct covert operations, including cyberattacks and sabotage, in response to what officials describe as an intensifying hybrid threat from Russia and other hostile actors.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt hailed the move as the start of a "new era" for Germany's secret services, which have traditionally focused on intelligence gathering rather than active measures. The reforms, which still require parliamentary approval before taking effect early next year, would allow the BND foreign intelligence service and the BfV domestic security agency to carry out non-lethal operations such as hacking enemy servers, disrupting payment flows, or disabling IT systems used by adversaries.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition argues that stronger intelligence capabilities are essential to counter threats from foreign powers, terrorist groups, and cybercriminals. German officials have repeatedly accused Moscow of waging a "hybrid" campaign of sabotage, espionage, and disinformation against the country, which ranks among Ukraine's most significant military supporters in the war with Russia.
Behind the curve
Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the Bundestag's intelligence oversight committee, told AFP that Germany is "in the thick of a hybrid conflict not only with Russia but also with other actors." He argued that the country's cautious approach has left it "behind the curve" and unable to properly contribute to European security. Henrichmann pointed to recent incidents, including the discovery of an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig airport last week, as evidence of the growing threat.
"We face adversaries who play without any rules at all," he said. "They have no regard for law and order. Their goal is not merely to put the West, the EU and Germany under pressure, but ideally to bring them to their knees."
For decades, Germany has imposed tight restrictions on its intelligence services, ruling out direct and potentially lethal operations as practiced by the CIA or Israel's Mossad. These constraints were shaped by the abuses of the Nazi dictatorship and communist East Germany, as well as a strong cultural emphasis on privacy rights.
"The German intelligence services were essentially, until recently, information collection services," said Peter Neumann, professor of security studies at King's College London. "They have some powers to collect information and give policymakers a better picture, but they are very restricted in what they were allowed to do with that information."
Germany has invested record sums in rebuilding its military since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and proponents of the reform argue that an expansion of spy capabilities is equally necessary. The legislative package, spanning over 700 pages, also expands data collection and analysis powers for both the BND and the BfV, including the use of artificial intelligence to scan vast datasets and retain data for longer periods. It also regulates controversial measures such as online surveillance and tracking.
In rare situations, the BND could receive permission to carry out foreign sabotage missions, though assassinations and other lethal operations would remain strictly forbidden.
Dobrindt told a press conference that Germany was "catching up with what is possible in other European countries" where secret services have more latitude. "We are transforming our intelligence services into genuine secret services," he said.
Neumann noted that Germany's tight limits on covert action have sometimes made cooperation with allied intelligence agencies difficult and joint operations rare. "It is about time for German intelligence services to have similar powers to other European democracies," he told AFP.
Concerns over civil liberties
But the plans have drawn criticism from opposition politicians and civil liberties groups. Konstantin von Notz, a Greens MP and vice-chairman of the intelligence oversight committee, acknowledged that "new and robust powers are fundamentally appropriate given the challenging current security climate," but the Society for Civil Rights argued that the new digital surveillance powers would "deeply infringe upon fundamental rights."
Left Party domestic policy expert Clara Bünger, quoted by Tagesschau, was more blunt: "Anyone who gives the intelligence services operational rights of intervention, powers of sabotage and state hackbacks is planning a new German secret police." She called the reform "oblivious to history and irresponsible," saying it would push surveillance powers "beyond any level compatible with the constitution."
FDP leader Wolfgang Kubicki echoed that sentiment, describing Dobrindt's plans as "a historic taboo" being broken. The debate is set to intensify as the legislation moves through parliament, with Germany's allies watching closely to see whether Berlin's intelligence services will finally gain the operational teeth that many European partners already possess.
