The CIA warned Germany's intelligence agency about a plot to assassinate Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, underscoring Germany's dependence on U.S. intelligence. While German security agencies have ramped up efforts to assess this threat, their understanding largely stems from the CIA's insights, leading to increased concerns over vulnerability. With potential changes in U.S. administration dynamics, European security officials are anxious about the future of their intelligence cooperation, fearing a scenario where they might lose crucial U.S. support in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.
A year later, Germany's understanding of the threat still consists almost entirely of what it was told by the CIA, officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The sequence underscores a level of dependence on U.S. intelligence that has persisted in Germany and other Western countries for years.
Across Europe, security officials are contemplating scenarios that once seemed unthinkable: being cut off from U.S. intelligence by an administration seeking to punish or pressure allies.
In interviews, current and former senior European security officials spoke with a shared sense of unease, facing a stream of Russian proxy attacks at a time when the continued flow of alerts from U.S. intelligence suddenly seems less certain.
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