List of German defence ministers
- For pre-1919 Prussian Ministers of War, see Prussian Ministry of War.
Federal Minister of Defence
Bundesminister der Verteidigung | |
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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 |
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 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 Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (German: Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr).
The current Federal Minister of Defence is Ursula von der Leyen.
List of officeholders
Ministers of Defence, 1919–1935
№ | Minister of Defence | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet | |
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1 | Gustav Noske (1868–1946) | 13 February 1919 | 22 March 1920 | year, 38 days | 1SPD | Scheidemann Bauer | |
2 | Otto Gessler (1875–1955) | 27 March 1920 | 19 January 1928 | years, 298 days | 7DDP | 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 | years, 132 days | 4Independent | Marx IV Müller II Brüning I − II | |
4 | Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934) | 1 June 1932 | 28 January 1933 | days | 243Independent | von Papen von Schleicher | |
5 | Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 28 January 1933 | 21 May 1935 | years, 113 days | 2Independent | von Schleicher Hitler |
Minister of War, 1935–1938
№ | Minister of War | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet | |
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1 | Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 21 May 1935 | 27 January 1938 | years, 251 days | 2Independent | 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)
№ | Minister of War | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet | |
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1 | Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) | 4 February 1938 | 8 May 1945 | years, 93 days | 7Independent | Hitler Flensburg |
Ministers of Defence of the GDR, 1956–1990
№ | Minister of War | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Chairman | |
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1 | Willi Stoph (1914–1999) | 1 March 1956 | 14 July 1960 | years, 135 days | 4SED | Grotewohl | |
2 | Heinz Hoffmann (1910–1985) | 14 July 1960 | 2 December 1985 | years, 141 days | 25SED | Otto Grotewohl Willi Stoph Horst Sindermann Willi Stoph | |
3 | Heinz Kessler (1920–2017) | 3 December 1985 | 18 November 1989 | years, 351 days | 3SED | Willi Stoph Hans Modrow | |
4 | Theodor Hoffmann (born 1935) | 18 November 1989 | 12 April 1990 | days | 145SED | Hans Modrow | |
5 | Rainer Eppelmann (born 1943) | 12 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 | days | 173DA | Lothar de Maizière |
Ministers of Defence (Bundesminister der Verteidigung), since 1955
№ | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet | |
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Federal Minister for Defence | |||||||
1 | Theodor Blank (1905–1972) | 7 June 1955 | 16 October 1956 | year, 131 days | 1CDU | Adenauer II | |
2 | Franz Josef Strauß (1915–1988) | 16 October 1956 | 29 December 1961 | years, 74 days | 5CSU | Adenauer II – III | |
Federal Minister of Defence | |||||||
(2) | Franz Josef Strauß (1915–1988) | 30 December 1961 | 9 January 1963 | year, 10 days | 1CSU | Adenauer IV – V | |
3 | Kai-Uwe von Hassel (1913–1997) | 9 January 1963 | 1 December 1966 | years, 326 days | 3CDU | Erhard I – II | |
4 | Gerhard Schröder (1910–1989) | 1 December 1966 | 21 October 1969 | years, 324 days | 2CDU | Kiesinger I | |
5 | Helmut Schmidt (1918–2015) | 22 October 1969 | 7 July 1972 | years, 259 days | 2SPD | Brandt I | |
6 | Georg Leber (1920–2012) | 7 July 1972 | 16 February 1978 | years, 224 days | 5SPD | Brandt I – II Schmidt I – II | |
7 | Hans Apel (1932–2011) | 17 February 1978 | 1 October 1982 | years, 226 days | 4SPD | Schmidt II – III | |
8 | Manfred Wörner (1934–1994) | 4 October 1982 | 18 May 1988 | years, 227 days | 5CDU | Kohl I – II – III | |
9 | Rupert Scholz (born 1937) | 18 May 1988 | 21 April 1989 | days | 338CDU | Kohl III | |
10 | Gerhard Stoltenberg (1928–2001) | 21 April 1989 | 31 March 1992 | years, 345 days | 2CDU | Kohl III – IV | |
11 | Volker Rühe (born 1942) | 1 April 1992 | 26 October 1998 | years, 188 days | 6CDU | Kohl IV – V | |
12 | Rudolf Scharping (born 1947) | 27 October 1998 | 19 July 2002 | years, 265 days | 3SPD | Schröder I | |
13 | Peter Struck (1943–2012) | 19 July 2002 | 22 November 2005 | years, 126 days | 3SPD | Schröder II | |
14 | Franz Josef Jung (born 1949) | 22 November 2005 | 28 October 2009 | years, 340 days | 3CDU | Merkel I | |
15 | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (born 1971) | 28 October 2009 | 3 March 2011 | year, 126 days | 1CSU | Merkel II | |
16 | Thomas de Maizière (born 1954) | 3 March 2011 | 17 December 2013 | years, 289 days | 2CDU | Merkel II | |
17 | Ursula von der Leyen (born 1958) | 17 December 2013 | Incumbent | years, 300 days | 4CDU | Merkel III – IV |
References
- ↑ "Art 65a Basic Law". Gesetze-im-internet.de. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
- ↑ "Art 115b Basic Law". Gesetze-im-internet.de. Retrieved 2013-06-09.