Scholz Confident in Pistorius's “Loyalty” Amid Growing Popularity
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed confidence in his Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, stating in a recent interview with Welt that he is certain of Pistorius’s “loyalty.” Scholz emphasized that both the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and he personally are aligned in their pursuit of winning the upcoming election.
Transforming the German Military: Making it 'Fit for War?'
Scholz appointed Pistorius as Germany’s defense minister in January 2023, nearly a year after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The decision initially surprised many, given Pistorius’s lack of national leadership experience—his previous role had been as interior and sports minister for Lower Saxony, a German federal state.
However, Pistorius has quickly become one of Germany’s most popular politicians, largely due to his call for significant investment in the Bundeswehr, the German military, which had seen decades of disarmament following the Cold War. Pistorius has repeatedly stressed the need to make the military “fit for war.” To this end, he has launched new recruitment initiatives, focusing on a volunteer model aimed at revitalizing the country’s understrength forces.
His reforms have gone beyond recruitment. Earlier in 2023, Pistorius signed a decree that shifted the military’s core strategy toward territorial defense, prioritizing the protection of Germany’s borders over occasional international engagements.
Just a few years ago, many Germans would have viewed such military readiness rhetoric as overly aggressive. However, Russia’s war on Ukraine has changed public sentiment in Germany. Polls indicate that a majority now support increased military spending.
Pistorius has also made strides on the international stage. His push for Germany to meet or even exceed NATO’s benchmark of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense has won him respect and support from Western allies, who have long urged Germany to boost its defense budget.
In short, Pistorius’s focus on strengthening Germany’s military and his ability to navigate both domestic and international politics has made him a rising figure in German and global defense circles.
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