Germany Cabinet Approves Intelligence Agency Overhaul

Germany's cabinet approved a major overhaul of the country's intelligence agencies on Wednesday, granting them new operational powers to conduct cyberattacks and other covert actions against foreign adversaries. The reform, which must still pass parliament, marks a historic shift for agencies long restricted to gathering information.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced the measures, stating they would transform Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and domestic security service (BfV) into "genuine secret services." He described the change as a revolution in the nation's security architecture, providing a new response to hybrid threats and attempts at destabilization through sabotage, espionage, and cyberattacks by foreign powers.

The legislation would allow the agencies to infiltrate computers and smartphones, actively combat attackers' infrastructure during a cyberattack, and use artificial intelligence to analyze communication and video data. In rare cases, the BND could receive permission to carry out foreign sabotage missions, such as disabling foreign IT systems or blocking payment flows. However, lethal operations like assassinations would remain strictly...