GSG 9 takes on new mission: Safeguarding the Baltic Sea
The German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, has assigned a new mission to the GSG 9 special police forces. Representatives from this counter-terrorism team will be responsible for safeguarding critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The unit will be stationed in Neustadt, a city located in the coastal state of Schleswig-Holstein.
12 October 2024 12:41
GSG 9 of the Federal Police, a division of the German Federal Border Guard renowned as one of the premier counter-terrorism units globally, is now tasked with the protection of the Baltic Sea waters. ARD reported this development about the new mission, which involves overseeing the critical Baltic infrastructure.
This decision has been taken by the German Ministry of the Interior. The announcement was made by the head of the department, Nancy Faeser.
The new mission for German super agents: GSG 9 relocates to the Baltic Sea waters
Now, GSG 9 will have a third operational base. Since the inception of these German special forces in 1972, their headquarters has been in St. Augustin, near Bonn. For some years, a separate operational unit has been located in Berlin.
The marine department of the German federal police in Neustadt will start operations in Schleswig-Holstein, specifically in the town of Neustadt. There will be an expansion of duties for the services. The new responsibilities will involve addressing sea-related threats.
According to ARD, the focus is on safeguarding critical infrastructure and mitigating potential terrorist threats. The units will be equipped to counter terrorist attacks on maritime assets.
GSG 9 agents will be able to respond more quickly to operations in northern Germany. Up until now, their main task has been combating Islamist and right-wing terrorism, along with serious organised crime such as smuggling.
The expanded scope of tasks will now encompass sensitive internal sectors. As noted by ARD, GSG 9's new duties will also involve counter-diversionary strategies.
The vulnerability of the critical infrastructure at sea was highlighted by the attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the incident's circumstances, it is clear that sabotage was involved. The investigation by the federal prosecutor is still in progress.
The new base in Neustadt will be prepared to respond to various maritime operational situations. This setup will allow GSG 9 agents to reach incident sites more swiftly.
While final financial details are yet to be finalised, the political decision regarding this matter has already been made by the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
