200 right-wing extremists in the German military
October 23, 2017
Germany's Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) has classified about 200 Bundeswehr soldiers as right-wing extremists since 2008, according to a report published Monday in regional daily Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.
The German defense ministry released the figure following a parliamentary inquiry by Green Party lawmaker and domestic policy spokesperson Irene Mihalic, the report said.
Mihalic told the newspaper that the recruitment of more than 20 right-wing extremists per year poses a serious challenge to domestic security. They could use their military training to advance their agenda, she said.
Read more: What draws right-wing extremists to the military?
The German lawmaker noted that MAD President Christof Gramm told parliament earlier this month that only eight Bundeswehr soldiers had been identified annually, marking a stark difference to the latest data received by the military branch.
The discrepancy represents a "high analytical uncertainty on the subject," Mihalic said. She said the MAD must regularly inform Germany's parliament about extremist efforts in the military, especially when it concerns networks and strategies.
A growing issue?
The Bundeswehr has come under increased pressure from the government to deal with members of far-right movements after an army lieutenant identified as Franco A. was discovered in April leading a double life as a Syrian refugee and planning a terrorist attack.
In September, the MAD said that it had recorded 286 new cases of right-wing extremism in Germany's military. But MAD President Gramm told lawmakers earlier this month that after the suspension of mandatory military service in 2011, the number of right-wing cases decreased significantly.
Read more: The German military and its troubled traditions
However, it is unclear how the latest data from MAD compares to Gramm's earlier statements on decreased right-wing activity among the Bundeswehr's ranks.
With the latest revelations, authorities have pushed for more information about far-right activity in the German military. In the German city of Tübingen, prosecutors last month said they launched a probe into allegations of right-wing extremist behavior among the Special Forces Command, the country's elite military troops.
ls/rt (dpa, AFP)