Espionage: Pistorius wants to further expand counter-espionage

espionage
Pistorius wants to further expand counter-espionage

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) wants to further expand the defense against espionage attacks on the Bundeswehr. He described the arrest of an employee of the Koblenz procurement office of the Bundeswehr as a success in the fight against Espionage.

“We are quick and vigilant. We must consistently continue to strengthen the military counterintelligence service – especially in the field of counterintelligence,” said the SPD politician to the dpa in Berlin. The cooperation between the intelligence services is close and has worked extremely well.

The new espionage case

Investigators from the Federal Criminal Police Office had arrested an employee of the Koblenz Federal Armed Forces Procurement Authority (BAAINBw) in Koblenz the day before. The accused is in his early 50s and an officer with the rank of captain. As the federal prosecutor announced, the man is said to have contacted the Russian consulate general in Bonn and the Russian embassy in Berlin several times “of his own accord” from May 2023 onwards and offered to work together. In doing so, he submitted information from his professional activities.

Pistorius: “We are wide awake”

“In times of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, we must adapt to the growing hybrid threat and continue to expand our counterintelligence in close cooperation with our European and international partners,” said Pistorius. And: “One thing is clear: we are wide awake and will make every effort to pursue every case with all severity.”

The arrested person worked in a department that deals with the procurement of technology for electronic warfare, reconnaissance and the evaluation of secret information, reported the “Business Insider”. The investigative authorities and the Ministry of Defense did not provide any information.

According to information from the German Press Agency, the suspect’s apartment in a village in the Rhein-Hunsrück district and the secondary apartment in Koblenz were also searched. The approach of the man, who addressed the Russian embassy and consulate general directly, was not without a certain naivety, according to observers. After all, especially in times of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the increased awareness of the security authorities with regard to espionage risks, it can be assumed that such attempts at contact will not go undetected.

Faeser praises security authorities

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser praised the work of the security authorities. “This case also shows that our security authorities are keeping an eye on Russian espionage in Germany and are taking consistent measures against it,” the SPD politician told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “Our security authorities are extremely vigilant. We have joined forces and ramped up protective measures to protect ourselves against the current threats.”

The CDU defense politician Henning Otte calls for further consequences for the establishment of the security authorities. “The security architecture must be fundamentally repositioned,” said Otte of the dpa. An adjustment of structure, responsibilities and powers must be based on the real dangers.

“Since internal and external security can no longer be separated, the protection of the constitution, the military counter-intelligence service and the federal intelligence service must also be allowed to cooperate in accordance with the constitution. Coordination could be carried out in a national security council,” said Otte.

Warning about Moscow

In its MAD report published in July, the military counter-intelligence service warned of increased spying on the Bundeswehr from Russia. Russia is striving for an information advantage over the West and NATO. “The high number of Russian intelligence service employees deployed here confirms the outstanding value of Germany,” according to the MAD.

The MAD now states that with a view to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine “the strengthening of counterintelligence and the fight against espionage and possible sabotage is more urgent than ever”.

In May 2021, the Bundestag decided to tighten security checks, which apply primarily to soldiers with special military skills or in critical areas. They are to be questioned more frequently than before and their Internet activities checked. This was a consequence of the right-wing extremism scandals at the Special Forces Command (KSK).

However, there is now a backlog of security checks in the Bundeswehr. In the first quarter of 2023, the number of open cases at the Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) was 66,551, a Defense Ministry spokesman said in July. By May 31, the number had risen to 69,687, according to a response from the ministry to a request from the Union faction, which the “Bild am Sonntag” (BamS) had reported on. The spokesman emphasized that the high number had no impact on new hires.

dpa