Overview

• A formal decree has created the National Security Council within the Federal Chancellery by merging the Bundessicherheitsrat and the Sicherheitskabinett into a single body.
• The Bundestag budget committee has approved 13 new positions to staff the council’s dedicated support unit for gathering, analyzing and preparing security information.
• Draft rules of procedure are in inter-ministerial review and scheduled for federal Cabinet adoption on August 27, after which the council will convene for both crisis management and ongoing strategic coordination.
• Chaired by the Chancellor and including ministers for finance, foreign affairs, defense and other key portfolios, the council aims to shift Germany’s security policy from ad-hoc responses to proactive, long-term planning.
• The council is tasked with drafting an updated National Security Strategy, organizing regular crisis simulations and breaking down silos across domestic, economic and digital security domains.