The Federal Intelligence Service (BND) is getting a new head. Martin Jäger, who is currently the German Ambassador to Kyiv, will become the new president of this structure, reports Spiegel, writes UNN.
Details
The change at the head of the German foreign intelligence service is the result of a decision by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Since the BND is directly subordinate to the Federal Chancellor's Office, he is the one who appoints the head of this department.
The German government has not yet officially confirmed this information. However, Spiegel notes that the personnel decision has been made for some time. It is planned that the current BND President Bruno Kahl will become the German Ambassador to the Vatican.
The publication notes that through the efforts of Martin Jäger, one of the most experienced crisis diplomats in the German Foreign Ministry, the BND will be reorganized in the coming years. The intelligence agency can count on significantly more funding for this. In addition, the German government intends to give the agency more flexibility in the field of foreign espionage and technical intelligence.
The reorganization in the BND became obvious shortly after the change of government. Merz brought Philipp Wolf, who recently served as one of the BND's vice presidents, to the chancellery as an intelligence controller. Since then, there have been rumors that Merz may also appoint a new BND chief.
What is known about Martin Jäger
In recent years, Jäger has had extensive contacts with the work of intelligence services - both in Berlin and in crisis regions of the world. In addition to various positions in the Federal Foreign Office, where he temporarily served as spokesman for Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), in 2013 he went to the Afghan capital Kabul as ambassador. He later moved to Iraq, where he headed the embassy in Baghdad from 2021. He has been in Kyiv since July 2023.
In Berlin, the new head of the BND can rely on a network that he has built over many years. In addition to his diplomatic career in the Foreign Ministry, he has also held positions in the Finance Ministry under Wolfgang Schäuble, later served as State Secretary in the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Interior in Stuttgart and in the Development Assistance Department in Berlin. Jäger also gained experience in the private sector. From 2008 to 2013, he served as chief lobbyist for Daimler AG.
Thanks to this combination - Jäger as president of the BND and Philipp Wolf as intelligence coordinator in the Chancellery - the collection of intelligence by the BND is intended to be accelerated as quickly as possible. Wolf is considered an experienced and discreet intelligence officer. For example, last year he secretly prepared a prisoner exchange with Russia, which resulted in the release of several German citizens and American journalist Evan Gershkovich from Russian custody.
Unlike previous BND presidents, the current change is not a dismissal. Even before the collapse of the coalition, Bruno Kal internally discussed whether he could move to Rome as German Ambassador to the Holy See. Now the new German government is fulfilling this wish.
During his eight years in office, Kal has experienced several sensitive cases. He and his agents have repeatedly been criticized by the public. For example, in 2021, he was accused of underestimating the threat of the Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan.
The following year, foreign intelligence services criticized the BND for allegedly not warning the German government strongly enough about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In the same year, a BND agent was exposed for selling secret details of the German intelligence service's internal workings to Russian intelligence services.
His successor in the BND faces a difficult task. In view of the numerous crises around the world, the agency's expertise is in demand as never before. In particular, Chancellor Merz, who puts foreign policy at the center of his government's work, expects the BND to provide crystal clear analysis and relevant intelligence on a daily basis. The fact that Martin Jäger knows more about Ukraine than almost anyone else should certainly make his start as head of the BND easier.
Addition
The head of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Bruno Kahl, said that Russia intends to test the resolve of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) by extending its confrontation with the West beyond Ukraine. In particular, "green men" may appear in Estonia.