Germany set to authorize armed forces to shoot down unauthorized drones

BERLIN

Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft law that would authorize the country's armed forces to shoot down unauthorized drones.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told a press conference in Berlin that the reforms to the Air Security Act will give police and the military new legal powers to respond to suspected drone activities.

"With the Air Security Act, we are creating the legal framework that we consider necessary, namely for cooperation and mutual assistance between the federal police, the state police forces, and the armed forces," he said.

"The law enables the German armed forces to combat, intercept, and even shoot down drones within the framework of administrative assistance when the police cannot effectively respond to suspected drones," he added.

The conservative official also announced that Germany will establish a new "drone defense unit" run by the federal police. He promised that police units will be equipped with the necessary technical capabilities to respond to unauthorized drones. If their technology proves insufficient against large or advanced drones, the German armed forces will step in through administrative assistance, he said.

The draft bill must be approved by the German parliament, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right CDU/CSU alliance and its coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), hold a majority.

The bill takes place after months of suspected drone incursions in several European countries, often blamed on Russia, which has denied any responsibility or intention to violate other countries’ airspace.