Pistorius is seen as a heavyweight, says German correspondent Derk Marseille. ‘The choice comes as a surprise, Scholz explains the appointment as a choice for someone who can handle his difficult task at Defense. But he should be able to make decisions with Scholz about the procurement of tanks. He also has to steer the expansion of the German defense, for which 100 billion euros has been made available, in the right direction.’
Lambrecht
The former defense minister, Christine Lambrecht, resigned after a series of missteps. Lambrecht has been heavily criticized since she took office in December 2021. A video message she recorded over New Year’s Eve in Berlin was the straw that broke the camel’s back. In the video, barely audible through the sound of exploding fireworks, he looks back on “a year that ended with a war raging in the middle of Europe”. According to the minister, the conflict in Ukraine has led to “many special experiences” and the possibility of “many encounters with fantastic and interesting people”.
The German media has been scathing about it. But Chancellor Scholz would not have asked her to leave, according to German media. She reportedly made it his initiative, after the Bild newspaper wrote on Friday that he intended to step down from the post in the near future.
Force
Pistorius is expected to demonstrate more decisiveness than Lambrecht. ‘If you look at how things work in Germany, where relationships are highly valued, you can expect his network to be solid. He’s been active for decades and enjoys a lot of prestige within the party,” Marseille says. ‘But ultimately the dynamics in Berlin are different than in the federal states, so we’ll have to see. trust.’