New government
Defense Minister-designate Christine Lambrecht: Review of missions abroad and new equipment
Christine Lambrecht (SPD) on Monday in Berlin at the presentation of the new ministers
© Florian Gaertner / Picture Alliance
“A surprise for many”: Christine Lambrecht becomes the new defense minister in Olaf Scholz Ampel-Coalition. She succeeds Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who is leaving office.
Defense Minister-designate Christine Lambrecht (SPD) has spoken out in favor of a review of Bundeswehr missions abroad. These had to be constantly evaluated, and there had to be a plan for the termination (“exit strategy”), demanded the previous Justice and Family Minister in Berlin on Monday. “We saw how important this is during the Afghanistan mission,” said Lambrecht, who was proposed for office by SPD Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz.
“Security in this government will be in the hands of strong women,” said Scholz. The women and men in the Bundeswehr deserve someone to stand up front who stands up for them and ensures that they are well equipped, said Scholz, and praised Lambrecht’s previous work as Federal Minister.
Christine Lambrecht becomes Minister of Defense: “A surprise for many”
Lambrecht, who succeeds Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU), said: “For many, the nomination as defense minister will come as a surprise.” She herself sees this as a great vote of confidence and a challenge. “The soldiers of the Bundeswehr deserve that we treat them with appreciation and respect, and I would like to explicitly include the reservists.”
Appropriate equipment is important, said the future minister. The procurement system must be modernized for this. “We have to make this profession attractive so that it is demographically stable,” she said, referring to the aging average of the men and women in the Bundeswehr.
You can see in this photo gallery: Several thousand people from crisis regions such as Afghanistan and Iraq are waiting in freezing temperatures on the border between Belarus and Poland. Your hope: to somehow get across the border and into the EU. Images from no man’s land.