List of German defence ministers


 * For pre-1919 Prussian Ministers of War, see Prussian Minister of War.

The Federal Minister of Defence (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 (Grundgesetz), the Federal Minister of Defence is Commander-in-chief (Inhaber der Befehls- und Kommandogewalt) of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces. Article 115b decrees that in the state of defence, declared by the Bundestag with consent of the Bundesrat, the command in chief passes to the Federal Chancellor. The highest-ranking military officer in the Bundeswehr is the Chief of Federal Armed Forces Staff (Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr).

The current Federal Minister of Defence is Ursula von der Leyen.

List of officeholders
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 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |

Ministers of Defence, 1919–1935
! width="50" style="background:#FFDEAD" | No. ! width="450" style="background:#FFDEAD" | Name ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Took office ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Left office ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Party
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 1
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Gustav Noske (1868–1946)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |13 February 1919
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |22 March 1920
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |SPD
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 2
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Otto Gessler (1875–1955)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |27 March 1920
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |19 January 1928
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |DDP
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 3
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Wilhelm Groener (1867–1939)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |19 January 1928
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |30 May 1932
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |none
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 4
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |1 June 1932
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |28 January 1933
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |none
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 5
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |28 January 1933
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |21 May 1935
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |none
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |28 January 1933
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |21 May 1935
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |none
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |

Minister of War, 1935–1938
! style="background:#FFDEAD" | No. ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Name ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Begin of office ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | End of office ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Party
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 1
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |21 May 1935
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |27 January 1938
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |none
 * colspan="5" align="center" style="background:#FFDEAD" | In 1938 the Ministry of War was abolished and replaced by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW).
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |
 * colspan="5" align="center" style="background:#FFDEAD" | In 1938 the Ministry of War was abolished and replaced by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW).
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |

Chief of the OKW (de facto Minister of War, 1938–1945)
! style="background:#FFDEAD" | No. ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Name ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Begin of office ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | End of office ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Party
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 1
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |4 February 1938
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |8 May 1945
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |none
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |

Ministers of Defence of the GDR, 1956–1990
! style="background:#FFDEAD" | No. ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Name ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Begin of office ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | End of office ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Party
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 1
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Willi Stoph (1914-1999)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |1 March 1956
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |14 July 1960
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |SED
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 2
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Heinz Hoffmann (1910-1985)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |14 July 1960
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |2 December 1985
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |SED
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 3
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Heinz Kessler (*1920)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |3 December 1985
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |18 November 1989
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |SED
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 4
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Theodor Hoffmann (*1935)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |18 November 1989
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |18 March 1990
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |SED
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" | 5
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Rainer Eppelmann (*1943)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |12 April 1990
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |2 October 1990
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |DA
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" |Rainer Eppelmann (*1943)
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |12 April 1990
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |2 October 1990
 * style="background:#FFF8DC;" align="center" |DA
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |
 * style="background:#FFDEAD" colspan="5" |

Ministers of Defence (Bundesminister der Verteidigung), since 1955
! style="background:#FFDEAD" | No. ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Name ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Begin of office ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | End of office ! style="background:#FFDEAD" | Party
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 1
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Theodor Blank (1905–1972)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |7 June 1955
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |16 October 1956
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" | 2
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" |Franz Josef Strauss (1915–1988)
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |16 October 1956
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |9 January 1963
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |CSU
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 3
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Kai-Uwe von Hassel (1913–1997)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |9 January 1963
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |1 December 1966
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 4
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Gerhard Schröder (1910–1989)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |1 December 1966
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |21 October 1969
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" | 5
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" |Helmut Schmidt (*1918)
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |22 October 1969
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |7 July 1972
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |SPD
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" | 6
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" |Georg Leber (1920–2012)
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |7 July 1972
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |16 February 1978
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |SPD
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" | 7
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" |Hans Apel (1932–2011)
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |17 February 1978
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |1 October 1982
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |SPD
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 8
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Manfred Wörner (1934–1994)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |1 October 1982
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |18 May 1988
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 9
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Rupert Scholz (*1937)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |18 May 1988
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |21 April 1989
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 10
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Gerhard Stoltenberg (1928–2001)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |21 April 1989
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |31 March 1992
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 11
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Volker Rühe (*1942)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |1 April 1992
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |26 October 1998
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" | 12
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" |Rudolf Scharping (*1947)
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |27 October 1998
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |19 July 2002
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |SPD
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" | 13
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" |Peter Struck (1943–2012)
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |19 July 2002
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |22 November 2005
 * style="background:#FFF3DC;" align="center" |SPD
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 14
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Franz Josef Jung (*1949)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |22 November 2005
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |28 October 2009
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 15
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (*1971)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |28 October 2009
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |3 March 2011
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CSU
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 16
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Thomas de Maizière (*1954)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |3 March 2011
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |17 December 2013
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 17
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Ursula von der Leyen (*1958)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |17 December 2013
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |Incumbent
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * }
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (*1971)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |28 October 2009
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |3 March 2011
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CSU
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 16
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Thomas de Maizière (*1954)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |3 March 2011
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |17 December 2013
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" | 17
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" |Ursula von der Leyen (*1958)
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |17 December 2013
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |Incumbent
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * }
 * style="background:#FFF5DC;" align="center" |CDU
 * }