German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the government wants to empower the military to shoot down drones in certain situations.
The proposal comes after a series of UAVs were spotted in the sky of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, which borders Denmark.
Mr. Dobrindt emphasized that this was the first time Germany had recorded the phenomenon of many UAVs appearing at the same time, in the context of similar incidents that have also occurred near airports and military facilities in Denmark and Norway. Suspicions of focusing on Russia, but there is no public evidence, and Moscow has denied allegations of involvement in incidents in Denmark.
According to Dobrindt, Germany is facing a continuous mixed threat and needs to prepare for a arms race between the UAV threat and the UAV defense system.
He affirmed that amending aviation safety laws is necessary so that the military can act when UAVs directly threaten human life or critical infrastructure. Currently, the police force still plays a key role in blocking UAVs.
A newspaper reported that military downed UAVs are only allowed in special cases, avoiding the risk of casualties due to debris. However, the German Police Union (GdP) opposed the plan, saying that ensuring domestic security is the police's task, not the military's.
Since Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine, the number of UAVs detected in Germany has increased sharply. Berlin has repeatedly accused Moscow of being behind reconnaissance activities. Meanwhile, UAV attacks have become a prominent feature of the conflict, prompting NATO countries near Russia's borders to build a "UAV defense wall" to counter the air threat.
