Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) inaugurated a new center for countering hybrid threats, GAZ Hybrid, on Tuesday. The Ministry of the Interior announced that this center is designed to detect and combat espionage, sabotage, disinformation, and other hybrid threats.
Dobrindt pointed out that hybrid threats have long become a daily hazard. He stated that the Common Center for Countering Hybrid Threats brings together the capabilities of security forces from both the federal and state levels, including police, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and information security specialists. The objective is to protect the country against hostile actors and ensure the stability of critical infrastructure, the economy, and democracy. He emphasized, “We are investing in prevention. By providing situational assessments, daily information exchange, and coordinated responses, we are increasing our resilience through this defensive center.”
GAZ Hybrid is intended to complement Germany’s existing security architecture and augment the capabilities of already established defense centers. It represents an evolution of the work previously handled within the Joint Extremism and Terrorism Countermeasures Center, specifically dealing with the fight against espionage and proliferation. The partners involved in GAZ Hybrid are responsible for analyzing and distilling intelligence, as well as coordinating operational intelligence and police protective and defensive measures.
Like other defense centers in Germany, GAZ Hybrid does not function as a standalone authority. Its various agencies cooperate through five working groups that focus on situational evaluations, operational information sharing, disinformation, economic threats, and analysis. Permanent participants include the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Federal Criminal Police Office, and the Federal Police.
