NEW POWERS FOR MILITARY
Dobrindt confirmed plans to revise air safety laws to allow the armed forces to shoot down drones.
“What we are witnessing is an arms race, an arms race between drone threats and drone defence. We must prepare ourselves for this,” he said.
Currently, police are responsible for defending against drones, but Dobrindt said changes were needed.
Bild newspaper reported that the military would only be permitted to down drones in limited cases, such as when they posed a serious threat to human life or critical infrastructure.
POLICE UNION OPPOSES MOVE
The GdP police union opposed Dobrindt’s plan, telling the Rheinische Post newspaper that domestic security was the responsibility of the police, not the military.
Germany, one of Ukraine’s key backers in its fight against Russia, has so far been reluctant to shoot down drones due to concerns that debris could cause civilian casualties.
Drone warfare has been a core element of the Ukraine conflict, and NATO countries bordering Russia are seeking to build a “drone defence wall”, a mix of technology and military systems to counter the aerial threat.
