Confused communication, shameless private arrangements and contradictory, embarrassing statements dot the political path of the minister responsible for the military forces yet she refuses to accept the conclusion.

Everyone was surprised when the German federal government, which was extremely difficult to set up, appointed Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician Christine Lambrecht to head the defence ministry, especially since Ms Lambrecht happened to have announced not much earlier that she would retire from political life. Moreover, she possessed no relevant experience for filling the post responsible for the military. The SPD politician started her defence ministership with a longer leave – apparently in an attempt to prepare for her new job – and consequently, missed several official events. Three months spent with work was still not enough for the new minister to get prepared. Before a meeting of foreign and defence ministers in Brussels, she told journalists that Germany would be able to provide the entire force of EU’s new 5,000-strong rapid reaction capacity for one year from 2025.

The defence minister raised some eyebrows with her announcement and her ministry had to correct her statement a few hours later, saying that the German army could only provide 2000 soldiers, simply because there were no more troops to deploy. This was not her first blunder as shown by a previous slip-up when Ms Lambrecht first denied that the military was struggling with problems and then, when truth came to light, she admitted to the world that Germany could provide Ukraine with nothing more than 5,000 military helmets. Following this, however, Germany sent several thousand anti-aircraft missiles, which turned out to have been scrapped after World War Two and were no longer operable.

However, the defence minister’s worst ordeal was to come when a complaint was filed against her on suspicion of breaching official secrets. Recently, reports went viral on the internet that she took her son with her on a government helicopter for an Easter vacation after together visiting a military base. There’s nothing wrong with this in terms of legal regulations, as in Germany government members can be accompanied by family members on official trips provided that they pay for the flight as a private individual at Lufthansa fares. The defence ministry confirmed that Ms Lambrecht acted legally, but for some reason, refused to disclose how much the flight cost for a long time.

The lawyer who took legal action against the SDP minister argues that Ms Lambrecht committed a serious violation when she wrote about her visit to a „top secret” unit on social media as the unit’s such designation amounts to a breach of confidentiality, and the same applies to the photos she published. The minister’s situation is aggravated by the fact that her son shared a photo on his social media account, showing him sitting in a military helicopter. Some say this is especially worrying as spies can easily spot some small detail in the military plane. Moreover, the cockpit is also visible allowing for conclusions regarding the point of departure. This is not only forbidden, but also extremely dangerous, especially when there is war in Europe.

Haben sich #Lambrecht und ihr Sohn strafbar gemacht? Laut §109g des Strafgesetzbuchs ist das „sicherheitsgefährdende Abbilden von Wehrmitteln“ verboten. Zudem ist es fraglich, ob beim Truppenbesuch Lambrechts der „dienstliche Zweck im Vordergrund stand. Es bleibt spannend! pic.twitter.com/N0endRbqnE

— Georg Pazderski (@Georg_Pazderski) May 11, 2022

A recent survey reveals that 55 per cent of those asked believe that Ms Lambrecht should leave from the top post at the ministry and only 19 per cent say she should stay in office. This is not the only scandal that has erupted around the SPD politician in recent days. More and more information from insider sources confirms that Ms Lambrecht’s attitude to work makes her unfit for heading the defence ministry.

A a serious case in point: she allegedly postponed an important telephone call with her British colleague because she urgently needed to go to the hairdresser

According to press sources, Ms Lambrecht continues to enjoy the confidence of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, but the left-wing politician cannot afford any more blunders. With the war in Ukraine raging, many in the world are keen to see Germany’s response, and a faltering defence minister poses a risk not only to the country but also to SPD, the majority governing party. Many have questioned the internal selection criteria for ministerial posts even within the party. Appointing a left-wing woman to head the defence ministry was „extremely unfortunate in retrospect”, a high-ranking SPD member told the press.