BERLIN — Germany wants to fight back against a surge in suspicious drone activity over critical infrastructure and military sites in the country by allowing its military to shoot down the unmanned aircraft.
The federal Cabinet approved a draft law on Wednesday that will allow Germany’s armed forces, or Bundeswehr, to fire at drones over sensitive sites. German authorities suspect the rise in drone activity could be part of Russian efforts to spy on military installations and industrial facilities.
“What we are now seeing, especially in the wake of Russian aggression and the drastically changed security situation over the past two years, is an increasing number of drone flyovers above military installations and critical infrastructure — drones that cannot be countered by police measures alone,” Maximilian Kall, a spokesperson for Germany’s interior ministry, said Wednesday.
Suspicious drones have been spotted over the Ramstein Air Base as well as over military training sites for Ukrainian soldiers in Germany, according to German officials. Drones have also been spotted over industrial giants like Rheinmetall and BASF, authorities say.
Currently, the Bundeswehr is precluded under German law from firing on the drones in German airspace. The new bill would allow the military to shoot down the drones if lives or critical infrastructure are deemed at risk.
However, the bill requires approval from Germany’s parliament, and still faces legal scrutiny due to Germany’s constitutional constraints on military force in domestic settings. Germany’s upcoming federal election on Feb. 23 could also delay approval.
