The German Bundestag’s Green Party faction has initiated an urgent debate, termed an “Aktuelle Stunde” regarding drone defense, sharply criticizing Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU). The move highlights growing concerns over the escalating use of illicit drones and underscores a political rift over how best to address the emerging threat.
Speaking to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, Green Party parliamentary group secretary Irene Mihalic asserted that unauthorized drone flights are currently generating significant public anxiety. She directly accused Dobrindt of prioritizing migration policy to the detriment of addressing tangible security risks, suggesting that crucial vulnerabilities have been neglected for too long.
Mihalic’s critique extends beyond a simple accusation of inaction. She questioned Dobrindt’s proposed solution of primarily shifting responsibility to the Bundeswehr (German armed forces), emphasizing that the Federal Police currently hold clear jurisdictional authority regarding public safety and hazard mitigation. She challenged the Interior Minister to articulate a comprehensive strategy for confronting a wide range of hybrid threats, encompassing not only drone incursions but also cyberattacks, espionage and attacks against critical infrastructure.
The parliamentary motion, titled “Securing German Airspace: Effective Drone Defense Now” explicitly demands a more robust and multi-faceted approach. Dobrindt’s legislative proposal for a reformed Air Security Act aims to legally mandate the Bundeswehr’s assistance in drone defense. This proposal, however, has already met with skepticism, notably from Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), raising questions about the practicality and potential overreach of militarizing airspace security. The debate exposes a fundamental disagreement over resource allocation and the appropriate response to increasingly complex security challenges, with the Green Party pushing for a civilian-led, holistic strategy.
