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The German Cabinet has approved a reform to the Federal Police Act, granting federal police the power to shoot down drones.
This decision, which now moves to parliament for final approval, follows a recent series of disruptive, rogue drone sightings, most notably one that forced the temporary suspension of air traffic at Munich Airport. Last week’s incident impacted thousands of travellers and exposed a serious security flaw.
Responding to security threats
The measure is a direct response to a recent surge in suspicious drone activity, which has also been observed in other European nations like Denmark and Lithuania.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other EU leaders have publicly linked these incursions to possible Russian hybrid warfare, an accusation Moscow has denied.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt introduced the reform days after the Munich incident, stating its purpose is to reorganise responsibilities and bolster defense against aerial threats. Dobrindt emphasised that the changes aim to create a “strong law for the federal police” that is “decisively, effectively and technically at the cutting edge.”
Three pillars of drone defence
The new law is structured around three key pillars to effectively address the “occurrence of increased drone sightings”:
Organisational cooperation: A new joint federal and state drone defence centre will be established to enhance collaboration between authorities.
Specialised unit: The federal police will create its own dedicated drone defence unit later this year to manage these specific threats.
Research and development: The final pillar focuses on research and development to ensure Germany’s defense capabilities remain current. To quickly build expertise, the country is reportedly engaging in dialogue with nations like Israel and Ukraine, which possess considerable experience in this field.
Dobrindt explained that defensive measures will include various tactics, including disrupting drones with electromagnetic waves, intercepting them, and, in cases of immediate danger, shooting them down.
The decision to modernise the Federal Police Act, which was last updated in 1994, concludes years of unsuccessful debate on the issue in previous legislative periods. The move is like what’s already been done in Bavaria, where the state leader Markus Söder allowed police to shoot down drones.
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