The German government on Wednesday approved the creation of a permanent National Security Council aimed at strengthening the country’s medium- and long-term security planning.
The new body, replacing the Federal Security Council and the Security Cabinet, delivers on a key election pledge by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. It reflects growing recognition that Germany had lost its strategic focus on security during the relative calm of the post-Cold War era.
“This is long overdue,” said Stefan Mair, head of the SWP think tank. “Its value lies less in the decisions taken than in ensuring that ministries develop a shared understanding of the security landscape.”
Germany was left unprepared for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with gas reserves only half full, forcing Berlin to rapidly overhaul its energy system to reduce dependence on Moscow. The shock prompted deep reflection among policymakers, with many blaming successive governments for letting the armed forces shrink after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.
The new council, based permanently at Merz’s riverside office, will be tasked both with addressing immediate threats and anticipating longer-term risks. It will be chaired by the chancellor, with the finance minister as his deputy. Permanent members will include the ministers of foreign affairs, interior, justice, economy, defence, development and digitalisation.
Additional representatives from Germany’s federal states, allied nations or the scientific community may be brought in when required.
Germany joins a growing list of countries to establish a centralised security committee modelled on the United States’ National Security Council, with Britain among the first to adopt a similar system in 2010.
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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
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A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
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