NATO appoints head of intelligence

(Baonghean.vn) - NATO has just appointed former Deputy Director of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven as the first person in charge of the intelligence sector of this alliance. The new role was created to better evaluate and coordinate intelligence activities among the members of the alliance.

NATO's intelligence gathering and assessment process has long relied heavily on the US. Photo: dpa.

NATO officials said on October 21 that Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg appointed German national Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven as assistant secretary general for intelligence and security.

The new position was developed to fill a gap in NATO's intelligence gathering and assessment processes, which have long relied heavily on the United States.

The proposal was initially pitched as a way to improve intelligence on Russian military activities, but it also includes analysis and intelligence sharing on terrorist threats. Officials say Freytag von Loringhoven is likely to focus on higher-level intelligence sharing on the strategy and operations of the so-called Islamic State (IS), rather than just tactical details of specific actors trying to infiltrate Europe.

Freytag von Loringhoven will oversee both civilian intelligence analysts who provide information to the Secretary General and NATO ambassadors, as well as analysts working in NATO's military committee.

Von Loringhoven, 59 years old (left), is a German diplomat currently serving as ambassador to the Czech Republic. Photo: Twitter.

Von Loringhoven, 59, is a German diplomat currently serving as ambassador to the Czech Republic. He is scheduled to leave this position at the end of this year. He served two terms in the political section of the German Embassy in Moscow, and from 2007 to 2010 served as Deputy Director of the BND.

Phu Binh

(According to DW)