5: Extremism of foreigners and Left-wing extremism Department 6: Islamic extremism and terrorism AfV: Academy of the German Domestic Intelligence Services (including the MAD) ZNAF: Education and Training (in cooperation with the BND) In 2019 federal funding for the BfV was €399 million; with a total of 3,864 staff members employed. Activities and operations While the BfV uses all kinds of surveillance technology and infiltration, they mostly use open sources. The BfV publishes a yearly report (Verfassungsschutzbericht) which is intended to raise awareness about anti-constitutional activities. Main concerns of the BfV are: Far-left political extremists, platforms, movements and parties, notably certain factions within Die Linke, as well as other smaller parties and groups promoting communism. Far-right political extremists (mainly Neo-Nazis, including the NPD political party, factions within Alternative für Deutschland, and smaller groups preaching Nazism, fascism, racism and xenophobia). Extremist organisations of foreigners living in Germany (most prominently Islamist terrorists). Cults (Sekten) such as Scientology (considered by the German government an authoritarian, anti-democratic commercial organisation rather than a religion). Organised crime is also mentioned as a threat to democracy, law and order, and free enterprise in the country's business economic system. However, organized crime is only marginally, if at all, actively combated by the BfV, as it falls into the responsibility of the normal police, especially the BKA. Personnel, Recruitment and Training The BfV employed civil servants. As in the rest of the federal service, the careers for civil servants are divided into simple, middle, upper and higher service. All employees must go through an extended security check with security investigations before they can work in the BfV. It's the highest security check in Germany. The BfV trains its staff for the middle and higher service itself, together with the BND. Middle-Service For the Middle-Service (Mittlerer Dienst) the training conveys the theoretical knowledge and methods as well as the practical professional knowledge and skills that are required for the fulfillment of the tasks in the middle service in the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. In addition, the training should enable the candidates to act responsibly in a liberal, democratic and social constitutional state. This also includes the ability to recognize and classify potential dangers for the security of the Federal Republic of Germany in a national and international context. The subject areas of the theoretical training are operational procurement and observation, operational information analysis, state and constitutional