Apparently, the elite GSG 9 unit lacks the financial means to effectively counter terrorism. The Federal Police unit is being cut to pieces, fears the chairman of the Federal Police Union (DPolG), Heiko Teggatz. In a letter obtained by WELT, the union leader addresses Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). Bild was the first to report this.
Teggatz describes the financial situation in the Federal Police’s operating budget as dramatic and criticises, among other things, the cancellation of around 2,500 flight hours in the Federal Police’s flight service. This has had a “massive impact” on parachute jump training, for example.
It continues: “Lack of procurement of necessary technology and reduced training of this special unit would have fatal consequences for the internal security of our country and the people who live here.”
Teggatz told Bild: “Our anti-terror unit GSG 9 is running out of money. There is a lack of technology, personnel and training opportunities. The traffic light government and its austerity policy are responsible for this. By cutting several thousand flight hours, this government is endangering effective counterterrorism. Especially at a time when the terrorist threat is higher than ever before, it would be better to invest in internal security than to promote the construction of cycle paths in Peru.”
In his letter, Teggatz informs the Chancellor that “the terrorist threat situation in Germany is extremely high.” The unionist further writes that Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) was informed about the financial situation in the Federal Police budget in September 2023 and January 2024. There was no reaction from the BMI.
Teggatz estimates the Federal Police’s budget deficit for 2024 at around 500 million euros. Around 329 million euros are missing for “urgently needed investments” and a further 176 million euros “to cover running costs”. The union representative writes that the allocated funds will probably not be enough to cover all running costs by the end of the fiscal year.
Not only the GSG 9 special unit is affected by cuts, but federal police officers are also not optimally equipped, for example in view of the increasing number of knife attacks. In order to be able to react to challenging situations, “appropriate protective equipment suitable for everyday use” is of course also necessary. There is currently no money for this either.
Faeser defended herself in the “Bild” newspaper. According to her, she had “strengthened the federal police by 1,000 positions every year and ensured that the federal police were equipped with the necessary resources.” She announced that she would continue to do so in the future and said: “The Federal Chancellor has also stressed that we will continue to strengthen the federal police.”
The “Border Protection Group 9”, or GSG 9 for short, was founded in September 1972 after a Palestinian terror commando took eleven Israeli participants hostage at the Olympic Games in Munich and the rescue operation ended in a fiasco. The special unit is trained to combat terrorism as well as serious or organized crime. The force is stationed in Sankt Augustin near Bonn.