Deficits in German secret services in crises: Strack-Zimmermann mentions missing information about Taliban, Russia and Mali

Deficits in German secret services in crises: Strack-Zimmermann mentions missing information about Taliban, Russia and Mali

Title: Criticism of German intelligence services: lack of performance in crisis situations

Berlin (dpa)-Marie-Egnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Defense Committee, expressed concerns about the current performance of German intelligence services in crisis locations in an interview with the German Press Agency. In their opinion, more employees are needed who are able to take a closer look at the action. However, Strack-Zimmermann asked the question of whether other countries may be more precise and determined than Germany and thus achieve better results.

The reason for the criticism of the German Foreign Intelligence Service (BND) was the armed uprising of the Russian mercenary chief Jewgeni Prigoschin against military leadership in Moscow. Chancellor Olaf Scholz showed that the BND was surprised by this uprising.

Marie-Eges Strack-Zimmermann also drawn attention to the deficits of German intelligence services in recent years. She referred to Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan in 2021, where Germany received no information. Likewise, one was not sufficiently informed about the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, although one knew beforehand that the Russian army was providing logistical support.

also when evaluating the situation in Mali, where the Bundeswehr is in the Blauhelm deployment, has been waiting for more detailed information. Especially with regard to the Wagner mercenary troop, which plays an important role in Mali, a precise look was needed.

Strack-Zimmermann sees the Wagner uprising in Russia as part of a sequence of events in which the German secret service did not adequately inform or classify them correctly. She believes that there is also a mental structural problem in the secret service apparatus. After the end of the Cold War, Germany simply hidden certain dangers.

The criticism of the German intelligence services is also supported by former BND presidents. Gerhard Schindler accused politics of having restricted the BND's skills too much in recent years, which has a negative impact on information procurement. He now sees the BND more as an administrative authority than as an operating intelligence service.

It remains to be seen whether the criticism of Strack-Zimmermann and Schindler will cause rethinking in German politics and will lead to changes in the work of the intelligence services.