The chief of Germany's BND foreign intelligence service, Gerhard Schindler, will be leaving his job early. Reports said that he was asked to leave his position in the spy agency.
The BND has not come forward with an explanation as to why Mr. Schindler would be stepping down earlier than previously expected. However, sources believe that the decision is connected to the newly-emerged fact that the BND had spied for the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). As the agency's chief, Mr. Schindler was widely criticized for that.
Mr. Schindler will be leaving its post two years before his retirement time. According to the BBC, some reports suggested that he suffered from ill health after the NSA controversy. The chief, who has been running the agency since 2012, will be replaced by Bruno Kahl. Mr. Kahl was considered close to Germany's finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.
The official announcement of Mr. Schindler's replacement was made on Wednesday. The confirmation came from Chancellor Angela Merkel's office, hours after the news had been regulated on the media. The announcement was made after the BND celebrated its 60th anniversary earlier this month.
Chancellor Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, announced that the BND agency faces "major challenges" during the coming years. He also noted that those challenges include the evolution of its mission, especially amid the changing security environment.
Other reports suggested that Mr. Schindler's dismissal is connected to the Islamic State militant attacks in Brussels and Paris in recent months. The Guardian noted that the attacks raised questions about European intelligence cooperation. Germany, while had not suffered a major attack by militants on its won soil, has been declared as a primary target for its contribution in supplying weapons and logistics to local forces fighting the militant group.
According to Channel NewsAsia, German media's reports did say that government officials doubted Schindler could make the changes to the agency as seen necessary by Berlin, especially in the two years remaining before his retirement. Surveillance is considered as a sensitive issue in Germany because of the nation's history in the Nazi era.
The head of Germany's foreign intelligence agency is stepping down from its position two years before his retirement is due. Reports suggested that the dismissal was connected to the NSA controversy earlier, and also to the challenging security environment in the wake of the Islamic State threats in Europe.
