German secret service to undergo major restructuring
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Berlin, Nov 11, IRNA
Germany-Secret Service-BND
The foreign intelligence agency of Germany, Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), will undergo radical restructuring as a result of a series of embarrassing mishaps in recent times, the website of Der Spiegel news magazine reported Saturday.
Under the plans, BND President Ernst Uhrlau is to create a special department which will focus on dealing with fighting global nuclear arms proliferation.
The total numbers of BND departments will be increased from eight to 10.
The reforms which are expected to be finalized by 2012, includes also the integration of parts of the intelligence apparatus of the German army which is still under the control of the German Defense Ministry.
The BND comes under the authority of the chancellor's office and its headquarter is based in the southern town of Pullach near Munich.
The BND has 200 bureaus in Germany and other countries and employs around 6,050 people, of which 10 percent of them are military personnel.
The annual budget of the BND exceeded 430 million euros in 2005.
The domestic secret service counterpart of the BND is the Bundesamt fuer Verfassungsschutz (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, BfV) and 16 counterparts at the federal state level (State Offices for the Protection of the Constitution).
There is also a separate military intelligence organization, the Militaerischer Abschirmdienst (MAD).
OT/2321/1414
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