German MP Wadephul warns of daily tens of thousands of digital attacks and calls for stronger Bundeswehr protection after sabotage attempts

Johann Wadephul, CDU Bundestag member and defense expert, emphasized on August 15, 2024, that German military bases such as those in Kiel and Eckernförde are under constant threat from espionage and sabotage, highlighted by a recent fence-cutting incident at a water supply installation on a Bundeswehr site in Mechernich and a sabotage attempt at the Cologne Luftwaffe base. He noted Germany endures tens of thousands of daily digital attacks from actors like Russia, Belarus, Iran, and North Korea. Wadephul called for increased Bundeswehr personnel, enhanced physical and electronic security measures including against drones, and reconsidering the reintroduction of conscription to better shield military and critical civil infrastructure including government buildings and transport hubs. These developments indicate an increasingly hostile domestic security environment requiring urgent countermeasures.