Security expert Peter Neumann is calling for the establishment of a National Security Advisor for Germany. Writing a guest article for the internet portal of the ntv broadcaster, he stated that the Security Council currently lacks a central leader or “head.” While the new German National Security Council was created for specific incidents, such as the discovery of a drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport, Neumann, a professor of Security Studies at King’s College London, observes that large parts of the government apparatus are still unfamiliar with this new body.
He points out that other Western democracies-including the UK, France, and Japan-do not merely have security councils; they also have National Security Advisors. These advisors organize the work, integrate various ministries, and advocate within the government structure to establish a unified strategic direction.
Necessity-driven, Neumann argues that Germany also requires such an advisor. However, he clarifies that this role should not be that of an all-powerful shadow minister. Instead, the advisor should function as a coordinator within the Prime Minister’s office who enjoys the Chancellor’s trust and ensures daily that security policy is approached in a truly cross-departmental manner. According to him, a brand-new body without a defined coordinator is, above all, “headless.”
