Dobrindt lays out Germany’s plans for improved drone defence

The German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt wants to create a joint drone defense center while the country is strengthening its capacity to deal with unmanned planes, many of which have been seen on many German airports in recent days.

Dobrindt told a meeting on Saturday with European counterparts in Munich that an amendment to the German Constitution or the Basic Law would not be necessary for the Bundeswehr to be able to provide administrative assistance as he had provided.

He did not comment on the background of recent overflights drones at Munich airport.

The Minister talks about the “arms race”

“We already have capacities in the federal police, customs, the Federal Bureau of the Criminal Police and the State authorities,” said Dobrindt, who is from the Social Christian Social Union Party.

“However, we want to broaden these capacities considerably and we want to make sure that communication between federal states and the federal government and the ability to analyze are reinforced,” added the minister.

He spoke of an “arms race” between drone threats and the defense of the drone.

APOROCHES VARIERIES For different types of drones

Depending on the type of drone in question, the administrative assistance of the German armed forces may be necessary, said Dobrindt – in any case, this should not be excluded. “This is why we must create the legal framework to make this possible.”

Dobrindt said that flying drones up to trees, for example, could be treated by the police.

“But we also have drones with very high altitudes,” he noted.

One could also imagine military drones, like those already seen in other countries such as Poland.

The Minister also wishes to create a “development and research unit” on the subject of drones and work with Israel and Ukraine, as well as with other European countries and the European Commission.

However, Dobrindt also stressed that not all drones are a threat. “Many of them, even if they are initiated and controlled by foreign powers, are part of a targeted provocation and not always automatically a threat.”

Frontex should invest more money in the defense of drones

The EU commissioner for internal affairs, Magnus Brunner, announced additional EU for the defense of drones. The EU Frontex border protection agency already has 150 million euros available for this purpose.

“We will put additional 250 million euros available from the border protection fund, especially for drones,” he said, referring to a proposal from his agency. This should also include the protection of airports.

Brunner spoke of the hybrid war. The attacks no longer only occur on the eastern external border of the EU, but also in the heart of Europe.

Migration policy also on the agenda

Dobrindt welcomed interior ministers from several European countries in Munich on Saturday in order to tighten the migration policy.

They did not plan to issue a final declaration at the end of the Munich migration meeting because it was a “working meeting,” said the ministry.

The meeting mainly sought to open the way to the return centers, said Dobrindt. They would welcome asylum seekers rejected from Europe who cannot be returned to their country of origin, he told Munich the Münchner Merkur.

These centers would be located as close as possible to countries of origin.

Although work is underway at the EU level on these centers, Dobrindt said that the European Union could not be invoked to establish such “return centers” and that the EU individual states should be able to take the lead in this case.

The last rally comes after Dobrindt met with colleagues from five EU and Brunner countries in July, when they are committed to coherent deportations, in particular in Syria and Afghanistan, better protection of the EU external boundaries and an increase in the acceptance of asylum seekers rejected by the EU countries.