Germany opens centre dedicated to defending against hybrid threats

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Tuesday opened a new centre tasked with fending off hybrid threats, as Europe responds to a growing number of cyberattacks and drone incursions amid heightened concerns over Russia.

Officials from the police, intelligence agencies and other authorities are to be jointly based at the facility in Berlin to improve information sharing and enable a more seamless response to potential threats.

Hybrid warfare refers to a combination of military, economic, intelligence and propaganda measures. This includes the destabilization of other states by influencing public opinion, for example in the run-up to elections, and state-sponsored cyberattacks on infrastructure and public administration.

While Germany has registered an increase in suspected Chinese agent activity in recent years, the domestic intelligence service considers Russia to be responsible for the largest share of hybrid threats.

Attackers combine physical operations with cyberattacks, deploying intelligence officers, criminal groups and even "low-level agents," said Sinan Selen, president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, as the domestic intelligence agency is formally known. 

Interior Minister Dobrindt said a Cabinet decision on the planned extension of powers held by the country's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies, adding that they must be turned into proper "secret services."

This would require giving them greater powers online and the ability to take proactive countermeasures, he said.