Secretary of Defense
Christine Lambrecht asks Scholz to be released
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) resigns. photo
© Jens Büttner/dpa
The defense minister was repeatedly criticized. Now Lambrecht draws consequences. Chancellor Scholz has to fill a ministry that is currently the focus of particular attention.
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht resigns. She asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (both SPD) to be dismissed, said a statement by the minister, which the German Press Agency received from the Ministry of Defense on Monday.
“The media focus on my person for months hardly allows factual reporting and discussion about the soldiers, the Bundeswehr and security policy decisions in the interests of the citizens of Germany,” writes Lambrecht accordingly. “The valuable work of the servicewomen and men and the many motivated people in the business area must be in the foreground. That’s why I decided to make my office available.” She thanks everyone “who is committed to our safety every day and wishes them all the best for the future.”
As early as Friday evening, several media reported unanimously that Lambrecht was about to withdraw from her ministerial post. The 57-year-old has been criticized for months, the opposition Union had repeatedly called for her resignation. Critics accused her of the sluggish start of procurement for the Bundeswehr or a lack of expertise, but also her appearance in public. A photo of her son traveling in a Bundeswehr helicopter made negative headlines. She recently caused irritation with a New Year’s message spread on Instagram, in which she spoke about the Ukraine war accompanied by New Year’s Eve fireworks.
Central post in the traffic light to be filled
This means that a central post in the traffic light cabinet must now be filled by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Ministry of Defense has also come into focus as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. In response, Germany launched a 100 billion euro program to better equip the Bundeswehr. The Ministry of Defense also plays an important role in supporting Ukraine.
Scholz wants to regulate the successor “promptly”. Deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said he accepted the request from SPD politician Lambrecht to be dismissed. “The Chancellor respects Ms. Lambrecht’s decision and thanks her for the good work she has done during this difficult and challenging time as Secretary of Defense.”
In mid-December, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) defended his defense minister against criticism. “The Bundeswehr has a first-class defense minister,” Scholz told the Süddeutsche Zeitung at the time. “I can only wonder about some of the criticism.” It is now a question of strengthening the Bundeswehr in the long term and reliably equipping it with weapons and ammunition.
Lambrecht took over the Ministry of Defense with the start of the traffic light government at the end of 2021. Previously, she had been Federal Minister of Justice in the last cabinet of Angela Merkel (CDU), after the resignation of Franziska Giffey she had also headed the Ministry of Family Affairs.
Lambrecht is the second minister to resign from office since the start of the traffic light government. Last year, the Greens politician Anne Spiegel resigned as Minister for Family Affairs – because of her role as Minister of the Environment for Rhineland-Palatinate during the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley in July 2021.
Two members of the cabinet are under discussion for Lambrecht’s successor: Chancellor Wolfgang Schmidt and Labor Minister Hubertus Heil. In addition, the military commissioner Eva Högl, the parliamentary state secretary in the Ministry of Defense, Siemtje Möller, and SPD leader Lars Klingbeil are traded for the post.