Saxony minister wants stronger airport protection after drone find

Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster is demanding stronger security measures for Leipzig/Halle Airport after a drone carrying explosives was found there. The incident, Schuster stated, underscores the airport's significant strategic value to Germany's defense capabilities.

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The incident makes it clear once again that airports also have considerable strategic importance for Germany's defense capability.

Speaking in a podcast, the CDU politician proposed that the federal government should investigate establishing a "specially protected area" at the Leipzig airport, similar to those at Frankfurt and Cologne/Bonn. He did not elaborate on how such a zone would be implemented in Leipzig.

Schuster emphasized a heightened threat level for Germany, extending beyond abstract concerns to a "high state of danger." He pointed to other critical facilities, including the microelectronics cluster in Dresden and essential utilities like power and water supply, as requiring urgent attention. Protecting these sites is a "mega-mission" in the current climate, he asserted.

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Germany is no longer in an abstract, but in a high state of danger.

Furthermore, Schuster called for a nationwide reassessment of drone defense capabilities. While acknowledging the swift response of joint federal-state defense structures to the Leipzig incident, he warned that the federal police's current capacity would be insufficient for comprehensive protection of airports and critical infrastructure. He suggested the National Security Council should consider empowering the Bundeswehr for greater domestic deployment, strengthening the federal police with a "paramilitary component," or allocating additional federal funds to state police for unified drone defense systems capable of countering "highly professional attackers," including state actors.

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whether the Bundeswehr must be empowered more strongly to be deployed internally.

Regarding the drone incident itself, Schuster offered limited details, stating that two specific investigative leads are being pursued. He expressed concern that the effort involved suggests an intent beyond mere intimidation, potentially aiming for a "physical attack."

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We are not in the dark.