Social Democrat Boris Pistorius, then Minister of the Interior for the Lower Saxony region, on December 8, 2022 in Hanover (Germany). MORITZ FRANKENBERG / AP
After all, Olaf Scholz will have surprised everyone. After three days of intense speculation about the name of the new defense minister who is to replace the resigned Christine Lambrecht, the Chancellor on Tuesday 17 ) Boris Pistorius, 62, has been Minister of the Interior of Lower Saxony for ten years. Little known to the general public, he is given the difficult task of carrying out the great reform of the Bundeswehr, the German army, at a crucial moment in its history.
Questioned on Tuesday afternoon, the person concerned said that he was “very surprised” by the Chancellor’s call, which only came on Monday, the day Christine Lambrecht resigned. Mr. Pistorius, obviously a second choice, was not on any of the lists of names mentioned in the press over the weekend.
His appointment will probably break gender parity within the government for a long time, a big promise by Olaf Scholz. The Chancellor obviously had to do this at the risk of criticism in his party and in his environmental alliances. On Tuesday, he welcomed a man who brings “a lot of experience in the security field” and the “strength and calmness” necessary for the function. Mr. Pistorius said he accepted the mission offered by Olaf Scholz “with great pleasure” and promised to invest “150%”.
Also Read: Germany: Boris Pistorius Appointed Defense Minister After Christine Lambrecht Resigned
Given the difficulty of the task, motivation was an essential requirement for this position. The Ministry of Defense has traditionally been the unloved child of German politics. Their leaders tend to spend short periods there, rarely leading to a great career. The institution suffers from structural weaknesses: it is considered to be extremely bureaucratic, influenced by the logic of the military hierarchy, and its administration is considered very delicate.
change of time
However, since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the ministry has had to go through a revolution and has become one of the nerve centers of government activity. The big plan that Olaf Scholz announced in his “Zeitenwende” speech on February 27, 2022 and that put an end to decades of German defensive and security restraint must come to fruition here.
That is 100 billion euros in special funds that were granted to the Bundeswehr to compensate for more than two decades of underinvestment in the defense apparatus. But it is already clear that this sum will not be enough. Eva Högl, member of the Bundestag for military affairs, whose name was circulated for Christine Lambrecht’s successor, said a tripling of this sum was necessary “in order to develop the army significantly further”. It is often less about conquering power and more about making up for blatant deficiencies – lack of ammunition, basic equipment, seriously defective equipment – so that Germany can meet its international obligations and, above all, deal with new threats.
You still have 44.97% of this article to read. The following is for subscribers only.