After accumulating mistakes and failures in the thirteen months she spent at the helm of the German Defense Ministry, Christine Lambrecht finally laid down her arms … and resigned on January 16. To tell the truth, one has to wonder if she really appreciated the importance of her functions at a time when war had just returned to European soil…
An anecdote reported in the press about the Rhine may say something about it. Thus, after her appointment as Minister, Mrs. Lambrecht admitted that she did not know how to distinguish a lieutenant from a lieutenant colonel. Which was understandable for someone new to military affairs. “I’m the civilian director of the Department of Defense and I don’t have to call everyone by their rank right away,” she had reasoned. Except that five months later she still didn’t know anymore, as she admitted in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.
In any case, it had become complicated for Mrs. Lambrecht to remain a minister. Especially since it has often lent a flank to criticism. The weekly newspaper Der Spiegel summed up his time at the head of the Ministry of Defense with the formula “Lead, bad luck, breakdown”. [fiasco, poisse et panne].
Mrs. Lambrecht also attacked the press in her letter of resignation. “The media’s focus on my person for months hardly allows factual reports and discussions about the soldiers, the Bundeswehr and security policy directions in the interest of German citizens,” he writes without saying it to the daily picture. The latter did not fail to answer him.
“Christine Lambrecht blames the media for her early departure. Not his mistakes, his mishaps and his omissions are responsible for his resignation, but the “media attention” to his person. A word of self-criticism? Nobody,” the newspaper said, noting that Ms. Lambrecht in her letter “did not mention Russia’s war against Ukraine, the biggest security policy event in Europe for decades. Event that prompted the federal government to set up a special fund of 100 billion euros to “fix” the Bundeswehr.
In any case, shortly after her departure, several personalities were proposed to succeed Ms. Lambrecht. Including that of Lars Klingbeil, a former anti-militarist MP [les attentats du 11 septembre 2001 lui firent changer d’avis…]the federal minister with “special powers” Wolfgang Schmidt and Eva Högl, the military commissioner of the Bundeswehr, who recently also advocated the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to the Ukraine and a renewed increase in investments for the Bundeswehr.
Finally, and as is so often the case, none of the names quoted by the press across the Rhine came out of a hat… Indeed, on January 17, German Chancellor Olaf Schoz announced that his next defense minister would be Boris Pistorius, then Social became Democratic Minister of the Interior and Sport in the Lower Saxony state government.
With a particular interest in cybersecurity issues, this attorney is [qui aura 63 ans en mars prochain] is a “very experienced politician who has been dealing with security policy for years,” argued Scholz. He was “thanks to his ability, his assertiveness and his big heart […]exactly the right person to lead the Bundeswehr through this turning point,” he added.
Note that Mr. Pistorius was behind an initiative that provided “criminal penalties” for those in Lower Saxony who publicly expressed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by displaying the “Z” symbol.
Nonetheless, Mr. Pistorius is quickly thrown in at the deep end when pressure is put on Berlin to deliver Leopard 2 to Ukraine. This issue will be discussed on January 20 at a meeting of Kiev supporters in Ramstein. Then, two days later, there will be a Franco-German Council of Ministers.
Congratulations to Boris Pistorius who was appointed by today @ OlafScholzFederal Defense Minister.
I am pleased to be able to strengthen defense cooperation between our two countries with him. On the fringes of the Franco-German Council on January 22, we have the opportunity to exchange ideas.
— Sebastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) January 17, 2023
His French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu was quick to congratulate him on his appointment. “Congratulations to Boris Pistorius, who was appointed German Defense Minister by Olaf Scholz today. I am pleased to be able to strengthen defense cooperation between our two countries with him. We will have the opportunity to exchange ideas on the sidelines of the Franco-German Council on January 22,” he said via Twitter.
Photo: By Daniel Biskup – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0