The inaugural meeting of Germany’s National Security Council, a new security body spearheaded by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, took place on Wednesday, a spokesman for Merz said.
Merz first proposed the council, which will focus on developing an “interdepartmental action plan” to counter hybrid threats from Russia, in the run-up to his election as chancellor in May, according to AFP.
“This is the government’s response to the growing number and intensity of hybrid threats against Germany, particularly from Russia,” Stefan Kornelius, a spokesman for Merz, said.
Hybrid warfare can take the form of everything from cyber attacks and disinformation to terror attacks and arson. In recent months, there have been numerous instances of drones believed to have originated from Russia appearing in Europe’s skies near airports and other militarily sensitive sites.
Last month, Germany’s parliament passed the first phase of a law authorizing German police officers to shoot down drones if they believe them to pose an “acute threat” to the public.
The newly formed National Security Council aims to bring together representatives across government ministries as well as the German security services and private sector to address such tactics.
At its first meeting, Kornelius said members discussed “strategic dependencies on critical raw materials,” pledging to develop a plan to “diversify and strengthen the resilience of raw material supplies” by the end of the year.
The council will also work on issues such as espionage and the protection of critical infrastructure.
On Sunday, President Volodymyr thanked Merz for sending two additional Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv.