Overview

• The federal cabinet approved a draft update to the Bundespolizeigesetz on October 8 that expands federal police competencies for counter‑drone operations and includes plans for a national drone‑defense center.
• The Interior Ministry says a dedicated Bundespolizei drone unit will be stood up this year, and Minister Alexander Dobrindt is pursuing legal changes to clarify when the Bundeswehr may assist.
• Two fresh Bundestag research service opinions conclude the Bundeswehr could shoot down drones domestically only in a constitutionally defined disaster emergency, with routine assistance limited to non‑sovereign support.
• Operational disruptions continue at major hubs, with Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg affected in recent weeks and Berlin’s BER reporting six stoppages due to drone reports, according to airport officials.
• States show uneven readiness, as Hessen and Rhineland‑Palatinate have enacted specific police authorities and Berlin police field jammers and net launchers, yet split jurisdiction on and off airport grounds complicates rapid action, while a YouGov poll finds 79% support for shoot‑downs and 58% see Russian involvement as likely, which Moscow denies.