[[File:Gerhard Schindler.jpg|thumb|Gerhard Schindler]] {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} '''Gerhard Schindler''' (born 4 October 1952<ref name=about>{{cite web |url=http://www.bnd.bund.de/DE/Organisation/Leitung%20des%20Hauses/Praesidente/praesident_node.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118053831/http://www.bnd.bund.de/DE/Organisation/Leitung%20des%20Hauses/Praesidente/praesident_node.html |archive-date=18 November 2015 |title=Präsident |website=bnd.de |accessdate=27 February 2020 }}</ref> in [[Kollig]], West Germany) is a German civil servant and former President of the ''[[Bundesnachrichtendienst]]'' (BND), the German Federal Intelligence Service.
== Life == Schindler's parents are from [[Transylvania]] and [[Bessarabia]]. He completed his ''[[Abitur]]'' in 1972<ref name=about/> and spent his [[Conscription in Germany|military service]] in a [[Paratrooper]] division of the ''[[Bundeswehr]]'', the German armed forces. He is an ''[[Oberleutnant]]'' of the reserves.<ref name=about/> He began studying [[legal science]] in 1974 at [[Saarland University]] in [[Saarbrücken]]. He passed the first and second German legal exams in 1980 and 1982 respectively.<ref name=about/>
Schindler served as a Law Enforcement Officer for the ''[[Bundesgrenzschutz]]'' (Federal Border Guard). In 1985, he became an instructor in the Civil Defense department of the [[Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany)|Federal Ministry of the Interior]]. He served at the [[Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution]] in [[Cologne]] from 1987 to 1989 as a division head. In 1989, he returned to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. He served as director of the budget department, permanent representative of the leader of the headquarters and leader of the "Modern State - Modern Administration" administrative department. In 2003, he became the leader of the [[Counter-terrorism]] department. Since 2008, he has been [[Undersecretary]] for [[Public security]]. Within this role, he has provided supervisory oversight for the [[Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany)|Federal Criminal Police Office]] and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.<ref>[http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/rolle-der-deutschen-in-der-nsa-affaere-schaeubles-musterschueler-beschnueffeln-die-buerger-2042159.html Rolle der Deutschen in der NSA-Affäre: Schäubles Musterschüler beschnüffeln die Bürger], in ''[[Stern (magazine)|Stern]]'', 24 July 2013</ref> He is seen as an authority on crime, terrorism, IT security, and computer crime. In 2012, he replaced [[Ernst Uhrlau]] as president of the ''[[Bundesnachrichtendienst]]''.<ref name="WAZ">[https://www.derwesten.de/politik/gerhard-schindler-59-wird-neuer-bnd-chef-id6142357.html Geheimdienst: Gerhard Schindler (59) wird neuer BND-Chef] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913040017/https://www.derwesten.de/politik/gerhard-schindler-59-wird-neuer-bnd-chef-id6142357.html |date=13 September 2018 }} in ''DerWesten'', published by [[Funke Mediengruppe]], 7 December 2011</ref>
Since November 2016 Schindler is consulting businesses in security issues at the consulting company friedrich30.<ref name="FAZ">{{Cite news |url=https://www.faz.net/1.4520492|title=F.A.Z.-exklusiv: Ex-BND-Chef Schindler wird Unternehmensberater |first=Tillmann |last=Neuscheler |lang=de |newspaper=Faz.net}}</ref><ref name="WirtschaftsWoche">{{Cite web |url=https://www.wiwo.de/erfolg/management/gerhard-schindler-vom-bnd-chef-zum-unternehmensberater/14794406.html |title=Gerhard Schindler: Vom BND-Chef zum Unternehmensberater |first=Kerstin |last=Dämon |website=wiwo.de }}</ref>
Schindler has been a member of the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] since university. From 1989 to 1994, he was a member of the local council in [[Nörvenich]].
He is married and has one child.
== Controversy == Schindler made headlines in May 2012 when he used his personal agency airplane (a [[Dassault Falcon 900]]) to transport a rug weighing {{convert|30|kg|lb}} from Afghanistan back to Germany for free as a "personal favor" for [[Dirk Niebel]], the [[Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development|Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development]]. Niebel did not make a [[customs declaration]] or payment of duty until after the issue was investigated by ''[[Der Spiegel]]'', a German weekly news magazine.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20120608-43029.html|title=Minister hits turbulence over flying carpet affair|publisher=The Local|date=8 June 2012|accessdate=5 September 2012|archive-date=4 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904141742/http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20120608-43029.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/9319073/German-minister-under-fire-for-Afghanistan-carpet-flight.html |title=German minister under fire for Afghanistan carpet flight |work=The Telegraph|date=2012-06-08 |accessdate=2015-05-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=53372 |title=German minister chided for flying carpet from Kabul |publisher=GEO TV |accessdate=5 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613171132/http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=53372 |archive-date=13 June 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Spiegel20120606">{{cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/souvenir-aus-kabul-niebel-liess-teppich-unverzollt-nach-berlin-fliegen-a-837578.html |title= Afghanistan-Souvenir im BND-Jet: Minister Niebels fliegender Teppich |language=German |trans-title=Afghanistan Souvenir in a BND Jet: Minister Niebel's Flying Carpet |last1=Gebauer |first1=Matthias |last2=Gude |first2=Hubert |publisher=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=2012-06-07 |accessdate=2015-05-08}}</ref> Schindler and Niebel's public statements contradicted each other.<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/niebel-und-sein-teppich-dossier-des-bnd-belastet-fdp-minister-a-838862.html Teppich im Geheimdienst-Jet: BND-Chef widerspricht Minister Niebel] in ''[[Spiegel Online]]'', 14 June 2012</ref>
In July 2013, Schindler was pressed for answers in the wake of the [[Global surveillance disclosures (2013–present)|Global surveillance disclosures]] when it was reported that the German Army was using [[PRISM (surveillance program)|PRISM]] to support its operations in Afghanistan as early as 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=The German Army was using PRISM to support its operations in Afghanistan as early as 2011.|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/bild-bericht-bundeswehr-soll-von-prism-gewusst-haben-a-911531.html|accessdate=18 July 2013|newspaper=Der Spiegel|date=17 July 2013|language=German}}</ref> The BND stated that a separate NATO platform was in use, which was contested by the [[Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)|Federal Ministry of Defence]].<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/bnd-chef-schindler-geraet-in-der-spaehdebatte-in-die-kritik-a-912430.html BND-Chef Schindler: Der NSA-Lehrling] in ''[[Spiegel Online]]'', 22 July 2013</ref>
Beginning on 10 August 2013, German media reported that under Schindler's direction, the BND was passing mobile phone data to the United States that was used in the U.S.'s [[targeted killing]] program.<ref>[http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/kooperation-mit-us-geheimdiensten-unmut-ueber-bnd-chef-schindler-1.1743505 Kooperation mit US-Geheimdiensten: Unmut über BND-Chef Schindler], ''[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]'', 10 August 2013</ref>
In April 2015, Schindler was criticized by politicians of all parties in the [[Bundestag|German Parliament]] for the BND's cooperation with the [[National Security Agency|NSA]] for spying on European firms and politicians, including German interests.<ref>Eckart Lohse: [https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/kanzleramt-uebt-heftige-kritik-an-bnd-13555622.html Kanzleramt übt heftige Kritik an BND] ''[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]'', 24 April 2015</ref> [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] and the [[Alliance '90/The Greens|Green Party]] called for Schindler to be fired; the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]], the junior coalition partner, called for an investigation.<ref name=dw>{{cite web |title=German spy chief faces calls to resign following NSA revelations |url=http://www.dw.de/german-spy-chief-faces-calls-to-resign-following-nsa-revelations/a-18407222 |date=2015-04-24 |publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]] |agency=Deutsche Presse-Agentur |accessdate=2015-05-08 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{BNDHeads}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schindler, Gerhard}} [[Category:1952 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Free Democratic Party politicians]] [[Category:German police chiefs]] [[Category:People from Rhineland-Palatinate]] [[Category:People of the Federal Intelligence Service]] [[Category:Saarland University alumni]]