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East Germany Agencies of the Ministry of State Security
In early 1987, the Ministry of State Security was headed by
General Erich Mielke, who had held the post since 1957. In 1986
the ministry had only one armed force at its disposal: the Feliks
Dzierzynski Guard Regiment, named for the founder of the Cheka,
the Bolshevik secret police. The approximately 7,000 members of
this regiment, who served at least 3 years, were responsible for
protecting government buildings and personnel. The regiment was
composed of six motorized rifle battalions, one artillery
battalion, and one training battalion. Its equipment included
PSZH-IV armored personnel carriers, 120mm mortars, 85mm and 100mm
antitank guns, ZU-23 antiaircraft guns, and helicopters. A Swiss
source reported in 1986 that the troops of the Ministry of State
Security also had commando units similar to the Soviet Union's
Spetsnaz forces. These East German units were said to wear the
uniform of the airborne troops, although with the violet collar
patch of the Ministry for State Security rather than the orange
one of paratroopers. They also wore the sleeve stripe of the
Feliks Dzierzynski Guard Regiment.
The Ministry for State Security also includes the Main
Administration for Reconnaissance. This unit focuses its efforts
primarily upon West Germany and the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, but it also operates East German intelligence in
all foreign countries. The Main Coordinating Administration of
the Ministry for State Security coordinates its work with Soviet
intelligence agencies. The Main Department for Communications
Security and Personnel Protection provides personal security for
the national leadership and maintains and operates an internal
secure communications system for the government. Protection
against sabotage or espionage is a function of the Administration
for Security of Heavy Industry and Research and the Main
Administration for Security of the Economy. The Main
Administration for Struggle Against Suspicious Persons is charged
with the surveillance of foreigners--particularly from the
West--legally traveling or residing within the country. This
includes the diplomatic community, tourists, and official guests.
Surveillance of mail and telephone communications is the function
of Administration 12. Reliability of the personnel of the NVA is
the responsibility of Administration 2000, which operates a
secret, unofficial network of informants within the NVA. To
facilitate its mission of enforcing the political security of
East Germany, the Ministry of State Security operates its own
penal system, distinct from that of the Ministry of the Interior.
This system comprises prison camps for political, as opposed to
criminal, offenders
(see
fig. 19).
Data as of July 1987
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