Germany’s Merz: New intelligence chief can make agency more effective

Seasoned diplomat Martin Jäger took the helm at Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency on Thursday, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressing hope that the organization will become more efficiently under the new leadership.

“We want the BND to operate at the very highest level in terms of intelligence,” Merz said at Jäger’s inauguration at the headquarters of the spy agency in Berlin.

Jäger, 61, previously served as Germany’s ambassador to Ukraine. He follows in the footsteps of Bruno Kahl, who asked to be transferred to the German embassy in the Vatican after holding the post for nine years.

Jäger will head some 6,500 intelligence workers at the BND, which was founded in 1956.

Merz said Jäger was taking over at a time when post-war Germany is faced with an unprecedented number of threats, citing daily hybrid attacks on infrastructure, acts of sabotage, espionage and disinformation campaigns.

“We once again have systemic rivals and adversaries both externally and internally. And they are becoming increasingly aggressive,” the chancellor said.

He said it was “a top priority for this government to create the basis for a secure, sovereign Germany.”

Given Germany’s responsibility in Europe and its economic strength, cooperation with other domestic security agencies, the armed forces and intelligence partners at the international level must be excellent, Merz said.

Jäger said he aims to align the foreign intelligence service more closely with the current threats facing Germany.

“We will take controlled and consistent higher risks in order to gain better access to intelligence and better protect our country’s interests,” Jäger added.