BERLIN – Boris Pistorius, the interior minister of Germany’s Lower Saxony state, was announced Tuesday as Germany’s new defense minister. Christine Lambrecht resigns last day
By appointing Pistorius, Scholz wants to end a government crisis The spark came from last week’s news of Lambrecht’s intention to resign, which was followed by a series of missteps and setbacks. It left the EU’s biggest economy without a clear military leadership for several days, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and just days before a key meeting of Western defense officials at the Ramstein military base in Germany this Friday, where tanks are on the table.
Although any final decision on tank deliveries will have to be made by Scholz, Pistorius will likely play a key role in this crucial discussion – already in the first days of his new job.
The chancellor’s spokesman said Pistorius, 62, who is from the same centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) as Scholz, would be officially sworn in on Thursday.
“I am very pleased to see Boris Pistorius, an outstanding politician of our country, elected to the position of Defense Minister,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement. Involved in security policy for years – and with his ability, outspokenness and big heart, he is absolutely the right person to lead the Bundeswehr through this epochal transition.
Pistorius gained a reputation as an expert on internal security during his role as Interior Minister of Lower Saxony from 2013. In 2019, he was Scholz’s opponent in the election of a new SPD chairman, which both lost. Pistorius also has some military background, having served in Germany’s Bundeswehr prior to his law studies.
Pistorius faces tough tasks in his new office. the German armed forces are in a depressed state and a declared sea change in German foreign and security policy, Scholz’s so-called turnheadlines as Berlin falls behind on its defense spending targets.
More immediately, the new defense minister will have to deal with pressure from allies to step up military support for Ukraine by supplying Kyiv with German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks. poland And Finland Germany has already announced its intention to send Leopards to Ukraine, but the move would require German approval, which Berlin has indicated it may give. However, the expectation is that Germany should also join a broad coalition of European countries that would collectively send a squadron of such Western tanks.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected in Berlin on Thursday – Pistorius’ first official day in office – to discuss increased military support for Ukraine. Friday’s Ramstein meeting will also focus on battle tanks for the invaded country.
On a side note, Scholz’s appointment of Pistorius to replace Lambrecht falls short of his previous goal of establishing gender parity in his cabinet.