The affair of right-wing extremist activities in the "Special Forces Command" (KSK) is widening. In a report to the Bundestag, the Ministry of Defense for the first time acknowledges shortcomings in the persecution of right-wing soldiers in the ranks of the strictly shielded elite fighters. In response, the house announced an upgrade of the Military Shielding Service (MAD), the intelligence service of the Bundeswehr.
The report by State Secretary Peter Tauber is sober in tone and yet it becomes clear. As Tauber explains, just the high number of suspected cases within the elite unit "in fact raises the question of whether the measures already taken and established instruments are sufficient". As a result, the ministry has adopted a "comprehensive package of measures" in order to determine more decisively against right-wing soldiers in the unit.
In recent months, the ministry had to admit in confidential sessions that the MAD is currently watching around two dozen KSK soldiers for possible right-wing extremist tendencies. Just over two weeks ago, a covert MAD operation against three alleged right-wing radicals within the KSK became public due to an "image" message and had to be aborted. Since then, the ministry has been investigating its own ranks for secret betrayals.
Ongoing disciplinary proceedings
The high number of suspicions within the only about 1000 man strong special unit is the letter not. However, Tauber reports that five disciplinary proceedings are currently underway for "right-wing extremist incidents related to the KSK". Two of the cases are therefore still in the status of preliminary investigations, three are already being tried by the courts. The procedures are mostly used to remove extremist soldiers from the Bundeswehr.
The ever-new reports about extreme right-wing elite warriors make up to high in the direction of the Ministry of excitement. Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had already been informed several times about the state of the MAD investigations in the KSK. Publicly, she announced relentless investigations. It was noticeable that Kramp-Karrenbauer, unlike her predecessor, explicitly mentioned the possibility that there are right-wing extremist networks in the Bundeswehr.
The Secretary of State also mentions this grave suspicion. Somewhat cumbersome it says there that "relations between suspected persons or other relatives" of the Bundeswehr checked and to intelligence agents such as surveillance or telephone monitoring could be used. Only the use of these funds shows that the evidence for such networks in the Bundeswehr are quite concrete.
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The Tauber report is intended to demonstrate that the ministry is already acting. For example, a central coordinating office was set up below the management, which will provide Kramp-Karrenbauer with an up-to-date picture of the current situation and organize the interaction between MAD and the disciplinary units of the Bundeswehr. The cooperation of the MAD with the protection of the constitution should also be strengthened.
Armando Babani / EPA-EFE / REX
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: Always current situation picture
In addition, the ministry announces much sharper investigations of the MAD. In this way, the possibilities for deploying intelligence services such as surveillance and communications surveillance should be "fully exploited" in the future. At the MAD, the technical department will be increased and the specialist department for the so-called G10 measures will be strengthened.
Applicants are examined more closely
At the KSK itself, the ministry has initiated training courses "on the soldierly self-understanding" and has been distributing guiding principles "as a moral guideline for the action and behavior of all commandos". In addition, it says in the letter, the recruitment process for the elite force is again sharpened to ward off extremists there already.
The opposition responded cautiously to the Ministry's report. "The Ministry of Defense does not seem to belittle the problem of right-wing tendencies and the conspicuous accumulation, especially at the KSK," said Green Defense expert Agnieszka Brugger. Nevertheless, the house of Kramp-Karrenbauer act "too late and cumbersome".
Brugger emphasized that the majority of Bundeswehr soldiers perform their duties perfectly, but that all extremist tendencies must be pursued "with maximum vigilance and the rigors of justice." To this day, the ministry is still working "dangerously helpless," criticized the Green Party politician.
