Security: According to Dobrindt, “shadow war” is intended to destabilize Germany

Sabotage, espionage, cyberattacks: The Interior Minister warns of a new threat that goes far beyond the Cold War. He calls for a reorganization of the intelligence services.

Berlin. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt sees Germany under greater threat than it was during the Cold War. The latter still knew boundaries, but these have now become blurred, said the CSU politician at a meeting of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) in Berlin.

Dobrindt spoke of a shadow war. This has a goal that goes far beyond that of the Cold War. “He has the clear aim of destabilizing us, ultimately destabilizing us,” the minister said. “Its goal is not to defeat us militarily, but rather to defeat us politically and socially.”

This approach was “not entirely unsuccessful,” Dobrindt admitted. There is destabilization in the social, political and economic areas. BfV President Sinan Selen said: "The democratic self-image should be unsettled. The social foundation should be shaken."

The so-called turning point should not be a purely foreign policy project, said Dobrindt, but “a fully comprehensive transformation project” of the state, society and the economy.

After Russia's attack on Ukraine, the then federal government made up of the SPD, Greens and FDP under Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) initiated a change of direction in German foreign and security policy, including a special fund worth 100 billion euros to modernize the Bundeswehr.

Germany is the target of attacks as a strong economic nation, an innovative industrial location, a science center and a central player in European defense and in supporting Ukraine, said Dobrindt. "If you want to destabilize the West, then you target Germany. If you want to destabilize Europe, then you target Germany because we are the guarantor of stability in the West and in Europe."

“Our order should be destroyed,” warned Dobrindt, referring to disinformation, sabotage, espionage and cyberattacks. As in the Cold War, there is also an interaction between state actors and organized crime, terrorism, “with everything that we identify on the evil side.” He believes the intensity of this collaboration has become stronger.

“We have to upgrade,” said Dobrindt, who promoted the planned reform of the intelligence services, which the Bundestag now has to decide on. It is planned that both the domestic intelligence service, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) will not only be able to collect information more in the future, but also be allowed to take action.

For example, in the future, the BND could destroy the IT of a state-controlled hacker group or manipulate production or supply chains in order to hinder the production of drones, weapons or explosives. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution should be allowed to secretly enter apartments or business premises under strict conditions - for example to use spying software for an online search.

BfV President Selen said that within two years it would be possible to take stock of whether the reorganization of the German intelligence services had been successful. “The attacks will come,” he predicted. "Will we be able to put together an effective defense here? We'll be able to measure that." It is necessary to reorientate operationally, technologically and also in attitude.

Dobrindt said he also wanted to focus more on left-wing extremism in the fight against extremism. “Every extremist is rubbish and we have to fight it.”

When asked about the suspicion of espionage against former BND President August Hanning, Selen emphasized that there was stable cooperation and a strong relationship of trust with services from other countries. He is “extremely confident” that no lasting damage will occur. “Nevertheless, it is of course a very annoying situation.”