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The issue involving far-right soldiers in the Bundeswehr has reached a new fever pitch. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) decided Thursday afternoon that the former head of the MAD military intelligence service would be replaced.
Christof Gramm is officially temporarily retired. However, Kramp-Karrenbauer fired the administrative attorney. The minister drove to MAD’s headquarters in Cologne on Thursday and had a long conversation with Gramm.
In recent months he had already made it clear to the MAD president that his authority could not afford any more setbacks in the persecution of right-wing extremist soldiers in the ranks of the Bundeswehr. So Gramm had to await his release. Gramm has headed the MAD since 2015. A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said the successor will be decided shortly.
In recent months, the MAD has repeatedly made headlines due to setbacks in the pursuit of right-wing extremist soldiers and the investigation of possible right-wing networks within the Bundeswehr. From the point of view of the minister and her senior officials, the secret service investigated suspected soldiers too lazily and was too slow in investigating potential networks.
Just yesterday, Wednesday, it became known that the MAD was going to dock much more closely than before with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the Federal Office of Criminal Police (BKA) in order to increase its effectiveness against right-wing networks.
The Greens called for the reform of the MAD to be pushed beyond the replacement of Gramm. “The replacement was inevitable after many setbacks and strange events,” said Konstantin von Notz, who sits on the Greens’ parliamentary oversight committee.
However, he does not doubt the personal integrity of the replaced president Gramm. Instead, he sees the minister under pressure to act. “Now it must be quickly clear who will lead MAD in the future, especially in this situation there should be no suspense game,” the intelligence expert demanded.
