What does Secretary of Defense Christine Lambrecht actually do? Criticism of the SPD politician is growing – because of arms deliveries and a “class trip” to the USA.
Berlin – Christine Lambrecht is one of three SPD federal ministers who were allowed to keep their post after the federal elections. Hubertus Heil remained Minister of Labour, Svenja Schulze and Lambrecht changed departments, but remained Ministers. For Lambrecht, that meant: Ministry of Defense instead of Justice, previously she was Minister for Family Affairs. But she doesn’t seem to have really settled into her new position.
Christine Lambrecht: CDU criticizes defense minister
In a current survey on the popularity of the ministers, there was slight growth for Lambrecht. However, a number of citizens stated that they did not know them at all. Of those who know who Lambrecht is, 16 percent attested her “good work” (January 13 percent). Klaus Schweinsberg, head of the Center for Strategy and Higher Leadership, was devastating: “From the German point of view, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht is a total failure.”
The Union likes to attack Lambrecht these days. Christoph Ploß, head of the Hamburg CDU, attested Lambrecht a “disastrous” job. They “embarrassed” Germany “all over the world”. The CSU defense expert Florian Hahn spoke in the world of blatant misjudgments. Is this judgment justified? The native of Mannheim, at least, did not always appear happy.
Ukraine War: Lambrecht’s confusion with the 5000 helmets
Even without a Ukraine war, the Ministry of Defense is difficult to manage, especially since Lambrecht has done many things right in her political career, but has had little contact with defense policy up until now. According to rumors, the trained lawyer was only the second choice for the office.
Lambrecht first came under fire in January when her Ministry of Defense promised to deliver 5,000 helmets to Ukraine. Ukraine had actually demanded weapons in the escalating Ukraine conflict. However, the federal government – and certainly not only Lambrecht – decided against it (initially).
After all, it was Lambrecht who publicly glorified that helmet delivery. The SPD minister spoke of a “very clear signal” to Ukraine. “We stand by your side”. Around a two-hour flight from Berlin, the 5,000 helmets were – to put it mildly – noted with some irritation. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko spoke of “a failure to provide assistance” and an “absolute joke”. The inglorious crowning glory: It also took those helmets weeks to even reach Ukraine. This, in turn, is certainly not solely attributable to Lambrecht, but is also due to the structures in the Ministry of Defense that have been languishing for years.
Germany’s Minister of Defense for the last 20 years
since 2021 | Christine Lambrecht (SPD) |
2019 to 2021 | Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) |
2013 to 2019 | Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) |
2011 to 2013 | Thomas de Maiziere (CDU) |
2009 to 2011 | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU) |
2005 to 2009 | Franz Josef Jung (CDU) |
2002 to 2005 | Peter Struck (SPD) |
1998 to 2002 | Rudolf Scharping (SPD) |
War in Ukraine: Lambrecht’s course on arms deliveries irritated
When it came to supplying weapons, Lambrecht sat out for a long time. Initially, this may have been related to the course taken by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. But: Lambrecht’s opinion is said to have endured even after Scholz’s historic government statement of February 27, in which he announced a 100 billion Bundeswehr package and his yes to arms deliveries. As the world reports, Germany’s largest armaments company, Rheinmetall, sent the ministry a list of weapons and ammunition as early as February 28. Order value: apparently more than half a billion euros.
The list included weapons that Rheinmetall could either send to Ukraine immediately or to the Bundeswehr in a few months if the ministry would prefer to deliver identical or similar weapons from German depots. Lambrecht’s answer to the offer: apparently not available. The letter is said to have been ignored until at least March 25. Lambrecht defended the federal government’s secrecy on arms deliveries to Ukraine on March 20 in “Anne Will”: “We don’t talk about it publicly.”
Ukraine War: Lambrecht’s weapons partially faulty
The federal government is currently planning another arms delivery to Ukraine. Bitter: Among the weapons that have already arrived in Ukraine, there are apparently also completely useless ones. Again mirror reported, large parts of the “Strela” rockets cannot be used. They come from GDR stocks and had significant defects. It would certainly be unfair to hold Lambrecht solely responsible for this. However, the posse has at least increased their reputation.
In mid-March, Lambrecht proudly announced that Germany would provide the new EU intervention force for a year when it was deployed for the first time in 2025. The Bundeswehr will provide 5,000 men. A little later, her ministry corrected the number to 1,500.
Lambrecht’s personnel policy in the Bundeswehr had previously caused irritation. It was said that she had hastily exchanged posts. The result: “It’s rumbling in the troops. The generals are rumbling. It’s rumbling in the planning staff,” as the daily mirror described.
Christine Lambrecht: Minister’s trip to the USA causes astonishment – “class trip”
This week, a business trip by the minister is causing a stir. Lambrecht made his way to the United States on Monday to speak with her counterpart Lloyd Austin and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. According to official information from the Ministry of Defense, it is about coordination between Germany and the USA in the Ukraine war. However, some questions remain unanswered.
There are no journalists on the trip, but around 20 employees from the ministry’s management level. Apparently, this is causing internal debates. Like the portal Business Insider reported, the meaningfulness of the trip is strongly doubted within the ministry. The fact that there are only two official appointments during Lambrecht’s five-day stay – one meeting with Austin and one with Guterres – also causes irritation. Otherwise, Lambrecht apparently has a lot of free time. The ministry mockingly referred to a “class trip”.
Christine Lambrecht: backing from the traffic lights – criticism of Union
After all, the backing in their own party is still great. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil criticized the “disproportionately large criticism” of Lambrecht as well as Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (also SPD) and attributed it to voices from the CDU and CSU. “The Union has a problem with strong women, and they are demonstrating that very clearly,” said Klingbeil t-online.de. Co-boss Saskia Esken said: “The Union has agreed to target women and criticize them publicly – as often as possible.”
There was also encouragement from the FDP from the chairwoman of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. Mistakes were made and criticism was a matter of course: “But please be technically sound.” In the direction of the opposition, she spoke of “levelless, indecent campaigns” and said: “Shots from the hip of profile neurotics are inappropriate.”(as)
#Ukraine #News #SPD #Minister #Lambrecht #pressure