Germany Pulls Chinese-Made Drones From Military Training Over Security Fears

Germany's military will stop using Chinese-made drones for training and replace them with German or other European models, the government said, according to ABC News and The Independent.

The Guardian reported that Germany is banning Chinese drones at military bases over security and spying concerns. Deutsche Welle also reported that the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, has banned Chinese-made drones.

Small drones have become one of the most important tools on the modern battlefield. The war in Ukraine has shown that cheap, off-the-shelf drones can scout enemy positions, guide artillery and even carry explosives. Armies around the world are racing to train their soldiers to fly them and to defend against them. That means training drones are not toys. They fly over bases, record video and connect to apps and networks.

The worry with Chinese-made drones is simple. Chinese law requires companies to cooperate with the country's intelligence services when asked. A drone that films a military base, or that links to software made in China, could hand valuable information to Beijing, or could be switched off or manipulated in a crisis. Western governments have increasingly decided that the risk is not worth the savings.

The United States has already gone down this road. The U.S. Army ordered its units to stop using drones from China's largest maker in 2017, citing cyber concerns, and Congress has since restricted federal agencies from buying Chinese-made drones. Germany's decision brings one of America's most important European allies in line with that approach.

The move is part of a larger shift in Germany. Since Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Berlin has poured money into rebuilding a military that had been neglected for decades. Buying drones from German and European makers keeps that money in allied economies and builds an industry Europe will need if it is to defend itself.

There is a cost. Chinese drones dominate the global market because they are cheap, capable and easy to use. European replacements will likely cost more, at least at first, and training budgets will have to absorb the difference while European makers ramp up production. But a military that depends on a rival power for its equipment is a military with a weak spot, and Germany has decided to close it.

Germany's decision is a welcome sign that America's allies are taking the security of their own militaries seriously. It is also a nudge to buy from trusted suppliers at home. The lesson applies to police departments, utilities and farms in America too: if the hardware can see it, hear it or connect to it, who made it matters.