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 German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, in peacetime. Conversely, when a state of defence is declared, the federal chancellor becomes commander-in-chief. 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 Boris Pistorius, since 19 January 2023.
Contents
List of officeholders
German Reich (1871–1945)
Ministers of defence (1919–1935)
Political party:
SPD
DDP
NSDAP
Minister of war (1935–1938)
In 1938 the Ministry of War was abolished and replaced by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), as a result of the Blomberg–Fritsch affair.
Chiefs of the OKW (de facto ministers of war, 1938–1945)
Minister of war (1945)
Karl Dönitz was named as Minister of War in Hitler's testament.
German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)
Ministers of defence (1956–1990)
Political party:
SED
DA
Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)
Ministers of defence (Bundesminister der Verteidigung), since 1955
Political party:
CDU
CSU
SPD