German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the aim is to jointly establish a German-Israeli cyber research center and further strengthen cooperation between the two countries’ intelligence and security agencies.
BERLIN:
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced on Sunday the establishment of a joint German-Israeli cyber research center and the further expansion of cooperation between the two countries’ intelligence and security agencies.
Germany is one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe. Faced with growing cyber threats from Russia and China, Berlin is looking to boost its military power, strengthen cooperation with NATO and leverage Israel’s defense expertise.
“In this phase of security change, military defense alone is not enough. In order to strengthen overall defense capabilities, a significant improvement in civil defense is also needed,” Dobrindt told the German Bild newspaper, who is on a visit to Israel.
Dobrindt, appointed by new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last month, arrived in Israel on Saturday.
Bild reported that Dobrindt outlined a five-point plan aimed at establishing a special system in Germany called “Cyber Dome” as part of the cyber defense strategy.
On Sunday, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder called for Germany to implement technology similar to the Israeli-developed short-range missile defense system “Iron Dome” and purchase 2,000 interceptor missiles.