Germany’s Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, is urging the nation to urgently strengthen its anti-drone defenses following recent security scares. However, he warned that Germany must be careful not to overreact to suspected Russian airspace incursions, which could be part of a deliberate strategy by Moscow.
The Drone Threat and the Munich Scare
The Minister’s remarks come shortly after drone sightings at Munich Airport caused chaos, leading to the cancellation of dozens of flights and stranding over 10,000 passengers.
While authorities have not formally blamed Russia for the Munich incident, officials have noted that Russia is suspected of being behind numerous recent aircraft incursions into the airspace of Ukraine’s European allies
Pistorius noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was a KGB agent in East Germany during the 1980s, “knows Germany very, very well.” This understanding of German society and politics makes the strategic risk of a rash response even greater.
“We mustn’t fall into Putin’s escalation trap. If we shot an aeroplane down, he would claim the airspace violation was just pilot error and we had shot down an innocent young man,” Pistorius told the newspaper.
The Need for Better Intelligence and Security
The Defense Minister stressed that Germany must do more than just focus on anti-drone technology. He is calling for a holistic approach to security to find links between seemingly unrelated events that could be part of a larger coordinated threat.
Strengthening German Defense Industry
The Minister also addressed the need for greater government involvement in the country’s defense sector, suggesting Germany should follow France’s lead by taking active state stewardship of important defense companies.
Ultimatum on European Warplane Project
Finally, Pistorius issued a firm deadline regarding the crucial joint Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) warplane project.
He warned that if all three participating governments do not provide a clear commitment to the project by the end of the year, Germany will withdraw. He is in full agreement with the Chancellor on this point.
The Minister also sent a pointed message to the United States amid rumors of a possible “kill switch” in its F-35 warplane, which could allow Washington to control how customers use the jets. Pistorius stated that such limitations—if they existed—would immediately make U.S. industry appear unreliable, severely impacting future military sales.