List of German defence ministers
- For pre-1919 Prussian Ministers of War, see Prussian Ministry of War.
| Federal Minister of Defence
Bundesminister der Verteidigung | |
|---|---|
|
| |
|
| |
| 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 |
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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
| Name (Born–Died) |
Image | Party | Term of Office | Chancellor (Cabinet) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gustav Noske (1868–1946) |
 |
SPD | 13 February 1919 | 22 March 1920 | Scheidemann (I) | |
| Otto Gessler (1875–1955) |
 |
DDP | 27 March 1920 | 19 January 1928 | Müller (I) Fehrenbach (I) | |
| Wilhelm Groener (1867–1939) |
 |
Independent | 19 January 1928 | 30 May 1932 | Marx (IV) | |
| Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934) |
 |
Independent | 1 June 1932 | 28 January 1933 | von Papen (I) von Schleicher (I) | |
| Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946) |
 |
Independent | 28 January 1933 | 21 May 1935 | von Schleicher (I) | |
Minister of War, 1935–1938
| Name (Born–Died) |
Image | Party | Term of Office | Chancellor (Cabinet) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946) |
|
Independent | 21 May 1935 | 27 January 1938 | Hitler (I) | |
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)
| Name (Born–Died) |
Image | Party | Term of Office | Chancellor (Cabinet) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) |
 |
Independent | 4 February 1938 | 8 May 1945 | Hitler (I) Donitz (Flensburg) | |
Ministers of Defence of the GDR, 1956–1990
| Name (Born–Died) |
Image | Party | Term of Office | Chairman | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willi Stoph (1914–1999) |
 |
SED | 1 March 1956 | 14 July 1960 | Otto Grotewohl | |
| Heinz Hoffmann (1910–1985) |
 |
SED | 14 July 1960 | 2 December 1985 | Otto Grotewohl | |
| Heinz Kessler (1920–2017) |
 |
SED | 3 December 1985 | 18 November 1989 | Willi Stoph | |
| Theodor Hoffmann (1935–) |
 |
SED | 18 November 1989 | 12 April 1990 | Hans Modrow | |
| Rainer Eppelmann (1943–) |
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DA | 12 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 | Lothar de Maizière | |
Ministers of Defence (Bundesminister der Verteidigung), since 1955
| Name (Born–Died) |
Image | Party | Term of Office | Chancellor (Cabinet) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Minister for Defence | ||||||
| Theodor Blank (1905–1972) |
 |
CDU | 7 June 1955 | 16 October 1956 | Adenauer (II) | |
| Franz Josef Strauß (1915–1988) |
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CSU | 16 October 1956 | 29 December 1961 | Adenauer (II • III) | |
| Federal Minister of Defence | ||||||
| Franz Josef Strauß (1915–1988) |
|
CSU | 30 December 1961 | 9 January 1963 | Adenauer (IV • V) | |
| Kai-Uwe von Hassel (1913–1997) |
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CDU | 9 January 1963 | 1 December 1966 | Erhard (I • II) | |
| Gerhard Schröder (1910–1989) |
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CDU | 1 December 1966 | 21 October 1969 | Kiesinger (I) | |
| Helmut Schmidt (1918–2015) |
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SPD | 22 October 1969 | 7 July 1972 | Brandt (I) | |
| Georg Leber (1920–2012) |
 |
SPD | 7 July 1972 | 16 February 1978 | Brandt (I • II) Schmidt (I • II) | |
| Hans Apel (1932–2011) |
 |
SPD | 17 February 1978 | 1 October 1982 | Schmidt (II • III) | |
| Manfred Wörner (1934–1994) |
 |
CDU | 4 October 1982 | 18 May 1988 | Kohl (I • II • III) | |
| Rupert Scholz (1937–) |
 |
CDU | 18 May 1988 | 21 April 1989 | Kohl (III) | |
| Gerhard Stoltenberg (1928–2001) |
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CDU | 21 April 1989 | 31 March 1992 | Kohl (III • IV) | |
| Volker Rühe (1942–) |
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CDU | 1 April 1992 | 26 October 1998 | Kohl (IV • V) | |
| Rudolf Scharping (1947–) |
 |
SPD | 27 October 1998 | 19 July 2002 | Schröder (I) | |
| Peter Struck (1943–2012) |
 |
SPD | 19 July 2002 | 22 November 2005 | Schröder (II) | |
| Franz Josef Jung (1949–) |
 |
CDU | 22 November 2005 | 28 October 2009 | Merkel (I) | |
| Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (1971–) |
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CSU | 28 October 2009 | 3 March 2011 | Merkel (II) | |
| Thomas de Maizière (1954–) |
 |
CDU | 3 March 2011 | 17 December 2013 | ||
| Ursula von der Leyen (1958–) |
 |
CDU | 17 December 2013 | Incumbent | Merkel (III) | |
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.