In the event that Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) resigns, the Chairman of the German Armed Forces Association, André Wüstner, calls for an assertive successor. “He needs competence, he needs assertiveness. He must be recognized across parties, and yes, he must also be able to integrate,” said Wüstner on Sunday evening in ZDF’s “heute journal”. “He faces an enormous challenge, the Ministry of Defense is already the most difficult ministry in the federal government, especially in times of war.”
For the future, he sees it as “fundamentally important” that a new minister “clearly shows what the situation in the Bundeswehr is, how precarious it is,” said Wüstner. The new head of department would then have to take Parliament with him, “when it comes to reforms, changes in the Bundeswehr, and yes, also to investments”.
According to media reports, Lambrecht is determined to resign from office. Speculations about a successor are therefore in full swing. Lambrecht’s expected resignation was not officially confirmed on Sunday either, although Lambrecht’s imminent resignation was assumed in Berlin.
The president of the reservists’ association of the German Bundeswehr, Patrick Sensburg, called for a successor “with strong leadership skills” to the editorial network Germany (Monday editions).
Former NATO general Hans-Lothar Domröse made a similar statement in the “Bild” newspaper (Monday): “Leadership is very important,” he said. “The future must be able to make decisions quickly and implement them powerfully, as well as manage a huge shop without losing sight of the big picture.” According to Domröse, a successor should have “a basic understanding of security policy” and enjoy “competence and support in their own party”.
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