BERLIN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The German government and Federal Intelligence Service (BND) have applied for additional funds from the parliament to build up the country's own surveillance capabilities, German newspaper Die Zeit reported on Wednesday.
Die Zeit cited a document classified as "top secret" in which the office of the Chancellery asked German lawmakers to approve a fresh injection of 400 million euros (496 million U.S. dollars) into "Project Georg".
Speaking to Die Zeit, BND director Bruno Kahl explained that Germany needed its own modern intelligence infrastructure, such as espionage satellites, to "access information quickly and independently, and conduct independent and up-to-date assessments".
Kahl argued that the investment was worth-while despite marking an increase over the original estimated costs of more than a quarter. After all, he said, it was "not always enough to rely on third parties for information, purchase images on the commercial market, or request content from international partners".
According to Die Zeit, the chief objective of "Project Georg" is to reduce German dependence on the powerful intelligence services of the United States. Even prior to the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, transatlantic relations between Berlin and Washington were severely strained by the revelations of NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
Amongst others, the Snowden leaks showed that the U.S. had been spying on the cell-phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a form of behavior amongst official allies which she privately likened to "American-style Stasi methods".
A growing perception that Berlin cannot fully trust Washington as an international partner, let alone rely on it to ensure its national security, has only been reinforced by the protectionist "America First" rhetoric of president Trump and his ambivalent attitude towards key tenets of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
In the report, Die Zeit drew attention to a consequential change of strategy in the elite policymaking circle surrounding Merkel towards more national emancipation, as well as intensified military and intelligence cooperation in the European Union (EU) as opposed to NATO.
Aside from smaller independent initiatives such as "Project Georg", a first step towards such a new multipolar reality in the global security landscape was taken with the establishment of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) by 25 of the EU's current 28 members in December 2017.
The PESCO pact will allow 25 participating EU member states to pursue greater cooperation on matters of defense and security.
PESCO and other European Defense Union initiatives have been presented as complements to NATO -- foremost a defense alliance -- but observers have noted that they represent a general change in political orientation, with European allies less confident of support and cooperation from the U.S.
