If Germany's planned National Security Council (NSR) already existed today, Chancellor Friedrich Merz would probably not be the sole target of criticism for halting German arms deliveries to Israel over the situation in Gaza.

"The decision would probably have been made with better preparation and the vote would have been smoother," Aylin Matl, a security and defense expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), told DW.

"The withdrawal of German forces from Afghanistan would probably not have been so chaotic either because it would have been planned and decided at an earlier stage."

Why is Germany establishing the NSR?

Some 60 countries worldwide have security committees similar to the one about to be established in Germany.

Unlike in the US or France, however, this German council will not be able to make security decisions unilaterally.

Still, it will empower the German government to act more decisively in times of crisis.

The agreement to set up the NSR between Germany's coalition government of Conservatives (CDU/CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD) ends decades of discussions.

This is partly because Germany was rarely called upon to take a leading role in security matters and could, therefore, afford to deliberate more slowly.

Also, coalition governments in recent years were often hampered by parties blocking certain security measures, thereby necessitating a more efficient decision-making process.

"As Berlin often failed to make up its mind, the German government regularly abstained on key European issues," Philipp Rotmann of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) told DW.

This, in turn, caused frustration among Germany's European partners. Rotmann says it is key for Germany to make decisions more quickly and decisively to further its own interests.

This became clearer than ever since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

"The German coalition government managed to draft a national security strategy but failed to create a national security council in the process," Matl told DW.

Now, the government finally wants to take this matter into its hands.

The coalition agreement enshrined the NSR, which is considered Chancellor Merz's pet project.

The plan is for the government to decide on establishing the new body at its first cabinet meeting after the summer break in late August.

Government sources say the NSR is to begin working in October.

What will the NSR do?

The NSR's main task will be to gather and consolidate all relevant information and analyses in one place to make decisions as quickly as possible.

The NSR will meet regularly and also take on strategic forecasting and planning.

This is intended to continue what the previous coalition government — made up of the Social Democrats, Free Democrats and Greens — had set out in its national security strategy.

The current government wants to set its own priorities and further develop this strategy by enlisting "think tanks" and regularly "engaging with the national security councils of allied countries," as the plan states.

Another important task of the NSR entails developing scenarios and exercises for crisis situations, such as aircraft hijacking or attack simulations.

"The main aim is to proactively shape policy rather than simply react to events," DGAP expert Matl told DW.

The NSR will be chaired by the chancellor. Permanent NSR members will include the head of the chancellery, who is responsible for coordinating the intelligence services and the foreign, interior, defense, finance, economic affairs, justice, development and digital ministries.

Other government members or representatives of the federal states may also be called in if required.

Representatives of other countries, NATO and the European Union could also join the NSR if necessary, as could the heads of security agencies, think tank experts, and private sector figures.

The NSR will be organized by a chancellery staff unit, which will be divided into three central areas: integrated situation assessment and strategic foresight analysis, as well as a coordinative executive branch.

What is changing?

The NSR will replace the Federal Security Council, which so far was primarily responsible for approving German arms exports, and the Security Cabinet, which the chancellery used to coordinate and exchange information with the German ministries on key issues.

The NSR will be taking on these tasks and is intended to "pool, process, and coordinate expertise and knowledge," according to a document prepared for the NSR seen by DW.

The aim is to be able to make "political decisions with a 360-degree view," the document states.

Creating such a body would be a first in Germany and could mean ministries losing some of their independence.

"At the same time, however, they could help shape decision-making processes by submitting their own proposals early on," Rotmann told DW.

"If insights from all departments were gathered in advance and used to prepare a joint assessment of the situation, decisions could be made more efficiently," DGAP expert Matl told DW.

She does, however, warn against high expectations.

"This is an important first step, but we have to wait and see how the committee develops," Matl said. "Will the NSR be able to develop cross-departmental scenarios and make decisions, or will forces of inertia prevail, rendering it a paper tiger?"

The NSR will meet secretly, but its decisions will be made public.

In a democracy, it is essential "to explain the significance and relevance of these individual decisions and to give people insight," Rotmann said.

It is equally important, he said, to involve the parties at an early stage and to communicate openly so that "no conspiracy theories and rumors are spread about what happens in this National Security Council."

This article was translated from German.