List of German defence ministers
Federal Minister of Defence | |
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Bundesminister der Verteidigung | |
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since 19 January 2023 | |
Federal Ministry of Defence | |
Reports to | The Federal Chancellor |
Appointer | The President, upon advice of the Federal Chancellor |
Formation | 13 February 1919 |
First holder | Gustav Noske (Weimar Republic) Theodor Blank (Federal Republic of Germany) |
Website | bmvg.de |
The Federal Minister of Defence (German: Bundesminister der Verteidigung) is the head of the Federal Ministry of Defence and a member of the Federal Cabinet.
According to Article 65a of the German Constitution (German: Grundgesetz), the Federal Minister of Defence is commander-in-chief (German: Inhaber der Befehls- und Kommandogewalt) of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, in peacetime.[1] Conversely, when a state of defence is declared, the Federal Chancellor becomes commander-in-chief.[2] The highest-ranking military officer in the Bundeswehr is the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (German: Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr).
The current Federal Minister of Defence is Boris Pistorius, since 19 January 2023.[3]
List of officeholders
[edit]Ministers of Defence, 1919–1935
[edit]No. | Portrait | Minister of Defence | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gustav Noske (1868–1946) | 13 February 1919 | 22 March 1920 | 1 year, 38 days | SPD | Scheidemann Bauer | |
2 | Otto Gessler (1875–1955) | 27 March 1920 | 19 January 1928 | 7 years, 298 days | DDP | Müller I Fehrenbach Wirth I−II Cuno Stresemann I−II Marx I−II Luther I−II Marx III−IV | |
3 | Wilhelm Groener (1867–1939) | 19 January 1928 | 30 May 1932 | 4 years, 132 days | Independent | Marx IV Müller II Brüning I−II | |
4 | Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934) | 1 June 1932 | 28 January 1933 | 243 days | Independent | Papen Schleicher | |
5 | Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 28 January 1933 | 21 May 1935 | 2 years, 113 days | Independent | Schleicher Hitler |
Minister of War, 1935–1938
[edit]No. | Portrait | Minister of War | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 21 May 1935 | 27 January 1938 | 2 years, 251 days | Independent | Hitler |
In 1938 the Ministry of War was abolished and replaced by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), as a result of the Blomberg–Fritsch affair.
Chief of the OKW (de facto Minister of War, 1938–1945)
[edit]No. | Portrait | Chief of the OKW | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) | 4 February 1938 | 12 May 1945 | 7 years, 93 days | Independent | Hitler Goebbels Schwerin von Krosigk |
Ministers of Defence of the GDR, 1956–1990
[edit]No. | Portrait | Minister of Defence | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Chairman |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Willi Stoph (1914–1999) | 1 March 1956 | 14 July 1960 | 4 years, 135 days | SED | Grotewohl | |
2 | Heinz Hoffmann (1910–1985) | 14 July 1960 | 2 December 1985 † | 25 years, 141 days | SED | Grotewohl Stoph Sindermann Stoph | |
3 | Heinz Kessler (1920–2017) | 3 December 1985 | 18 November 1989 | 3 years, 351 days | SED | Stoph Modrow | |
4 | Theodor Hoffmann (1935–2018) | 18 November 1989 | 12 April 1990 | 145 days | SED | Modrow | |
5 | Rainer Eppelmann (born 1943) | 12 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 | 173 days | DA | de Maizière |
Ministers of Defence (Bundesminister der Verteidigung), since 1955
[edit]No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Theodor Blank (1905–1972) | 7 June 1955 | 16 October 1956 | 1 year, 131 days | CDU | Adenauer II | |
2 | Franz Josef Strauß (1915–1988) | 16 October 1956 | 9 January 1963 | 6 years, 85 days | CSU | Adenauer II–V | |
3 | Kai-Uwe von Hassel (1913–1997) | 9 January 1963 | 1 December 1966 | 3 years, 326 days | CDU | Erhard I–II | |
4 | Gerhard Schröder (1910–1989) | 1 December 1966 | 21 October 1969 | 2 years, 324 days | CDU | Kiesinger I | |
5 | Helmut Schmidt (1918–2015) | 22 October 1969 | 7 July 1972 | 2 years, 259 days | SPD | Brandt I | |
6 | Georg Leber (1920–2012) | 7 July 1972 | 16 February 1978 | 5 years, 224 days | SPD | Brandt I–II Schmidt I–II | |
7 | Hans Apel (1932–2011) | 17 February 1978 | 1 October 1982 | 4 years, 226 days | SPD | Schmidt II–III | |
8 | Manfred Wörner (1934–1994) | 4 October 1982 | 18 May 1988 | 5 years, 227 days | CDU | Kohl I–II–III | |
9 | Rupert Scholz (born 1937) | 18 May 1988 | 21 April 1989 | 338 days | CDU | Kohl III | |
10 | Gerhard Stoltenberg (1928–2001) | 21 April 1989 | 31 March 1992 | 2 years, 345 days | CDU | Kohl III–IV | |
11 | Volker Rühe (born 1942) | 1 April 1992 | 26 October 1998 | 6 years, 188 days | CDU | Kohl IV–V | |
12 | Rudolf Scharping (born 1947) | 27 October 1998 | 19 July 2002 | 3 years, 265 days | SPD | Schröder I | |
13 | Peter Struck (1943–2012) | 19 July 2002 | 22 November 2005 | 3 years, 126 days | SPD | Schröder II | |
14 | Franz Josef Jung (born 1949) | 22 November 2005 | 28 October 2009 | 3 years, 340 days | CDU | Merkel I | |
15 | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (born 1971) | 28 October 2009 | 3 March 2011 | 1 year, 126 days | CSU | Merkel II | |
16 | Thomas de Maizière (born 1954) | 3 March 2011 | 17 December 2013 | 2 years, 289 days | CDU | Merkel II | |
17 | Ursula von der Leyen (born 1958) | 17 December 2013 | 17 July 2019 | 5 years, 212 days | CDU | Merkel III–IV | |
18 | Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (born 1962) | 17 July 2019 | 8 December 2021 | 2 years, 144 days | CDU | Merkel IV | |
19 | Christine Lambrecht (born 1965) | 8 December 2021 | 19 January 2023 | 1 year, 42 days | SPD | Scholz | |
20 | Boris Pistorius (born 1960) | 19 January 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 210 days | SPD | Scholz |
References
[edit]- ^ "Art 65a Basic Law". Gesetze-im-internet.de. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "Art 115b Basic Law". Gesetze-im-internet.de. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ tagesschau.de. "Pistorius tritt Amt an – Treffen mit Austin". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 19 January 2023.