- For pre-1919 Prussian Ministers of War, see Prussian Minister of War.
| List of German defence ministers | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appointed by | The President, upon advice of the Federal Chancellor |
| Incumbent | Ursula von der Leyen |
| Personal details | |
| Website | bmvg.de |
The Federal Minister of Defence (German language: 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 language: Grundgesetz), the Federal Minister of Defence is Commander-in-chief (German language: Inhaber der Befehls- und Kommandogewalt) of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces.[1] 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.[2] The highest-ranking military officer in the Bundeswehr is the Chief of Federal Armed Forces Staff (German language: Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr).
The current Federal Minister of Defence is Ursula von der Leyen.
List of officeholders
Ministers of Defence, 1919–1935 | ||||
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gustav Noske (1868–1946) | 13 February 1919 | 22 March 1920 | SPD |
| 2 | Otto Gessler (1875–1955) | 27 March 1920 | 19 January 1928 | DDP |
| 3 | Wilhelm Groener (1867–1939) | 19 January 1928 | 30 May 1932 | none |
| 4 | Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934) | 1 June 1932 | 28 January 1933 | none |
| 5 | Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 28 January 1933 | 21 May 1935 | none |
Minister of War, 1935–1938 | ||||
| No. | Name | Begin of office | End of office | Party |
| 1 | Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 21 May 1935 | 27 January 1938 | none |
| In 1938 the Ministry of War was abolished and replaced by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW). | ||||
Chief of the OKW (de facto Minister of War, 1938–1945) | ||||
| No. | Name | Begin of office | End of office | Party |
| 1 | Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) | 4 February 1938 | 8 May 1945 | none |
Ministers of Defence of the GDR, 1956–1990 | ||||
| No. | Name | Begin of office | End of office | Party |
| 1 | Willi Stoph (1914-1999) | 1 March 1956 | 14 July 1960 | SED |
| 2 | Heinz Hoffmann (1910-1985) | 14 July 1960 | 2 December 1985 | SED |
| 3 | Heinz Kessler (*1920) | 3 December 1985 | 18 November 1989 | SED |
| 4 | Theodor Hoffmann (*1935) | 18 November 1989 | 18 March 1990 | SED |
| 5 | Rainer Eppelmann (*1943) | 12 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 | DA |
Ministers of Defence (Bundesminister der Verteidigung), since 1955 | ||||
| No. | Name | Begin of office | End of office | Party |
| 1 | Theodor Blank (1905–1972) | 7 June 1955 | 16 October 1956 | CDU |
| 2 | Franz Josef Strauss (1915–1988) | 16 October 1956 | 9 January 1963 | CSU |
| 3 | Kai-Uwe von Hassel (1913–1997) | 9 January 1963 | 1 December 1966 | CDU |
| 4 | Gerhard Schröder (1910–1989) | 1 December 1966 | 21 October 1969 | CDU |
| 5 | Helmut Schmidt (*1918) | 22 October 1969 | 7 July 1972 | SPD |
| 6 | Georg Leber (1920–2012) | 7 July 1972 | 16 February 1978 | SPD |
| 7 | Hans Apel (1932–2011) | 17 February 1978 | 1 October 1982 | SPD |
| 8 | Manfred Wörner (1934–1994) | 1 October 1982 | 18 May 1988 | CDU |
| 9 | Rupert Scholz (*1937) | 18 May 1988 | 21 April 1989 | CDU |
| 10 | Gerhard Stoltenberg (1928–2001) | 21 April 1989 | 31 March 1992 | CDU |
| 11 | Volker Rühe (*1942) | 1 April 1992 | 26 October 1998 | CDU |
| 12 | Rudolf Scharping (*1947) | 27 October 1998 | 19 July 2002 | SPD |
| 13 | Peter Struck (1943–2012) | 19 July 2002 | 22 November 2005 | SPD |
| 14 | Franz Josef Jung (*1949) | 22 November 2005 | 28 October 2009 | CDU |
| 15 | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (*1971) | 28 October 2009 | 3 March 2011 | CSU |
| 16 | Thomas de Maizière (*1954) | 3 March 2011 | 17 December 2013 | CDU |
| 17 | Ursula von der Leyen (*1958) | 17 December 2013 | Incumbent | CDU |
References
- ↑ "Art 65a Basic Law". Gesetze-im-internet.de. http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_gg/englisch_gg.html#GGengl_000P65a. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
- ↑ "Art 115b Basic Law". Gesetze-im-internet.de. http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_gg/englisch_gg.html#GGengl_000P115b. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
External links
The original article can be found at List of German defence ministers and the edit history here.