Christine Lambrecht can be as resolute as she wants – a bunny ear can see through. The Federal Defense Minister is afraid to admit the pure truth and nothing but the truth to the public, to her own coalition and perhaps even to herself. This is: either or.
Either Germany supports the Ukraine with everything the Bundeswehr has at its disposal, or the government implements the Chancellor’s directive to transform the Bundeswehr into the most powerful army in Central Europe within the shortest possible time. Neither is possible – at least not within nine months since the beginning of the turning point on February 24th.
Lambrecht, on the other hand, relies on an apparently determined both-and and promises everyone everything: Kyiv more ammunition from the magazines of the Bundeswehr, Warsaw fighter jets and Patriot missiles, the NATO brigades ready for action and the Bundeswehr the best possible equipment.
In this way, she becomes the minister of lofty and nebulous undertakings, makes herself vulnerable and leaves an impression of weakness that she never stood for as Minister of Justice. Also, does she make mistakes? Yes, she does, but not so badly that she deserves to be the nation’s puke bucket.
The Department of Defense could have signed contracts with the arms companies more quickly to fill up the empty ammunition depots. This is true. But even the accusation that the 100 billion euro special fund has not long since been touched is not fair. Major purchases in the billions can’t be triggered just like that.
And the fact that the Federal Republic – contrary to what Olaf Scholz promised – even this year missed the two percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for defense is not to be blamed on Lambrecht, but on the cabinet and the government factions.
Its members of parliament sing the song about helping Ukraine, but behind the scenes they consider many things to be more important than the Bundeswehr. It’s time to be honest and finally free yourself from the evil of the past decades. Spoken to Gottfried Benn: “Start from your stocks, not from your slogans.”
