German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is to appoint the country’s ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jäger as the new head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) to succeed Bruno Kahl, according to Spiegel.
The change of the BND leadership is part of the personnel policy of Germany’s new ruling coalition. The intelligence service is directly subordinate to the Federal Chancellery, which is why the chancellor personally decides on the appointment of the new head.
Bruno Kahl, the incumbent head of the BND, will reportedly leave his post and take up diplomatic activities, heading the German embassy in the Vatican.
Jäger has been head of the German Embassy in Kyiv since the summer of 2023 and has repeatedly expressed support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. He has worked in the German government, including the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Development.
The future intelligence chief believes that the BND is in need of large-scale overhaul, including increased funding and technical capabilities for spying abroad.
