Germany Plans to Legislate the Right to Shoot Down Drones

In parallel with the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Germany is preparing to develop clear legal and operational mechanisms to counter them. The country's Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, has stated that Berlin intends to legislate the right to shoot down drones in European skies, emphasizing that this requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach.

According to the minister, before taking any action, it is necessary to create a clear system for assessing the situation. "We need a clear understanding of the situation: what specific drones are we talking about? Are they a threat that needs to be responded to immediately, or does it not pose an immediate danger? All of this must be coordinated, and for that, a complete 'situational picture' is necessary," noted Pistorius.

It is in this context, according to him, that the government will consider and implement changes to the "Airspace Security Act." "I believe that this is entirely possible," he added. The Defense Minister also expressed his conviction that it is necessary to more actively involve the Bundeswehr (the German armed forces) in this process within the framework of providing administrative assistance.

At the same time, Pistorius was quick to dispel the impression that there is a confusion of competencies in Germany. "There is no confusion of competencies in Germany. It is absolutely clearly defined who is responsible for what in each area," he stressed.

According to the minister, the real problem is not the uncertainty of who is responsible, but the need to improve the interaction between different levels: federal, state, and military structures. "What we really need to improve is the interaction between the different levels. Starting, I repeat, from a unified picture of the situation and ending with the use of systems that, ideally, should be compatible with each other and used in a coordinated manner at the federal, state, and Bundeswehr levels," Pistorius concluded.