Headquartered in Pullach and Berlin, the BND is the only foreign intelligence service of the Federal Republic of Germany. The task of the BND is to collect and analyse information required for obtaining foreign intelligence which is of importance to the foreign and security policy of the Federal Republic of Germany. This mission is accomplished by the BND using intelligence methods: with specific means available solely to itself, the BND collects secret information which cannot be obtained otherwise.

The security policy environment, where we accomplish our mission, has significantly changed in the past few years: we live in a multi-polar world; globalisation intensifies worldwide interdependencies; national systems have become increasingly vulnerable by regional abortive developments also in seemingly remote parts of the world. New conflict forms and scenarios dominate the international security situation – including international Islamist-inspired terrorism and the asymmetric threat emanating from it as well as problems of proliferation, collapse of states or conflicts over energy and resources.

Present-day crises and conflicts are often highly dynamic and require rapid action from policymakers. That is why the BND as a provider of information to the Federal Government and Parliament has the duty to ensure the timely supply of all the information required for solid decision-making. Germany’s active role in the international network of crisis management, conflict containment and conflict resolution demands the continued collection of exact, reliable and comprehensive information about risks and conflict potentials worldwide.

Ideally, the early detection of incipient crises and dangerous tendencies can help defuse multi-faceted threat potentials. The fast supply of profound information to the political decision-makers is therefore our goal and ambition.