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.
Argentina’s economic activity fell by 0.3% in November 2025 compared with the same month a year earlier, marking the country’s first monthly contr...
Kazakhstan has yet to receive results from two foreign laboratories examining evidence linked to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft near Akt...
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow could pay $1 billion from Russian assets frozen abroad to secure permanent membership i...
At least eight Nigerian soldiers were killed and around 50 wounded after Islamist Boko Haram fighters attacked a military position in Borno State in n...
President Trump says he has agreed a framework for a Greenland deal with NATO....
Argentina’s economic activity fell by 0.3% in November 2025 compared with the same month a year earlier, marking the country’s first monthly contraction of the year, the national statistics agency INDEC said on Wednesday.
Kazakhstan has yet to receive results from two foreign laboratories examining evidence linked to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft near Aktau, delaying the publication of the final investigation report, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow could pay $1 billion from Russian assets frozen abroad to secure permanent membership in Donald Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’.
At least eight Nigerian soldiers were killed and around 50 wounded after Islamist Boko Haram fighters attacked a military position in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, security sources said on Wednesday.
More than 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 96 in western Michigan on Monday (19 January), forcing the highway to shut in both directions amid severe winter weather.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose a 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes after France declined to join his proposed Board of Peace on Gaza initiative.
Syrian government troops tightened their grip across a swathe of northern and eastern territory on Monday after it was abruptly abandoned by Kurdish forces in a dramatic shift that has consolidated President Ahmed al-Sharaa's rule.
Several locally-developed instant messaging applications were reportedly restored in Iran on Tuesday (20 January), partially easing communications restrictions imposed after recent unrest.
There was a common theme in speeches at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday (20 January). China’s Vice-Premier, He Lifeng, warned that "tariffs and trade wars have no winners," while France's Emmanuel Macron, labelled "endless accumulation of new tariffs" from the U.S. "fundamentally unacceptable."
Venezuela’s oil exports under a flagship $2bn supply deal with the U.S. reached around 7.8 million barrels on Wednesday, vessel-tracking data and state-run PDVSA documents show, with shipments accelerating after Washington eased its blockade — but not enough for PDVSA to fully reverse output cuts.
A senior official at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said on Wednesday that roughly 6% of U.S. air travellers are not presenting identification that meets stricter federal standards, as the agency prepares to start charging passengers without enhanced ID a $45 fee from 1 February.
Kazakhstan has yet to receive results from two foreign laboratories examining evidence linked to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft near Aktau, delaying the publication of the final investigation report, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow could pay $1 billion from Russian assets frozen abroad to secure permanent membership in Donald Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’.
At least eight Nigerian soldiers were killed and around 50 wounded after Islamist Boko Haram fighters attacked a military position in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, security sources said on Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment