Analysis and reporting

Main aim

The German domestic intelligence services act as an effective early warning system, well in advance of threat prevention by the police.

Condensing their intelligence into various reporting formats, the services – regularly and as needed – provide a large number of recipients and also the public with up-to-date information on threats to the internal security of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Analysis methodology

Analysis always starts with examining and evaluating the intelligence already available. If the analysts find that they lack essential information required as a basis for assessment, they will try to have the information gathering units collect the missing information from open sources or by means of covert techniques. To this end, the analysts prepare a catalogue of information to be collected and share it with the information gathering units. Already at this stage, the analysis units, as the internal customers, have to meet strict standards and always have to check whether there may not be a way of obtaining the missing information from open sources and/or whether the use of covert techniques is absolutely necessary.

Once there is sufficient information available to carry out a proper analysis, this material is evaluated to find out whether an individual or a group might pose a threat to the internal security of the Federal Republic of Germany. As regards the specific assessments to be made, the information stored in the Intelligence Information System and Knowledge Network (NADIS WN), which is used by the German domestic intelligence community, plays a major role as well. This system frequently helps to detect important links between individual pieces of information and thus reveals the bigger picture that would otherwise remain hidden.

Products and customers

An extensive circle of public authorities and other bodies benefits from the products provided by the analysis units of the domestic intelligence services at federal and federal state level. Our services draw up situation reports and single-issue analyses that enable, for instance, the Federal Government and the governments of the federal states, the police authorities as well as other agencies of the Federation and of the federal states to initiate timely measures to counter threats to internal security. The customers of the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV) also include the intelligence services of other countries; they in turn share their own information with BfV.

Communication with the public is important to the German domestic intelligence services. It is in the nature of things that special requirements for secrecy do not always enable us to fully and comprehensively inform citizens about our intelligence. Still, they are entitled to know where and from whom there is a threat to the internal security of our community. In accordance with the principle of “protecting the constitution by providing information and raising awareness”, one of the core tasks of the German domestic intelligence services is informing the public about the results of their work regularly and with as much transparency as possible. This is chiefly done through regular reports, especially the Reports on the Protection of the Constitution issued every year by BfV as well as by the domestic intelligence services of the federal states.