Following the news that Germany’s Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht is to be replaced by Boris Pistorius;

James Marques, Associate Aerospace, Defense and Security Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“Lambrecht’s resignation comes after mounting criticism over perceived blunders in communicating issues surrounding the Ukraine war, and a failure to kickstart serious reforms in Germany’s defense policy and procurement despite a €100 billion uplift in February 2022. Boris Pistorius has been hailed as an experienced administrator but some observers may lament the lack of defense-related experience across Germany’s coalition government in trying times.

“Pistorius takes over at an inflection point in western aid for Ukraine. Germany has held out over authorizing the transfer of numerous Leopard 2 main battle tanks, but pressure is growing after the UK’s decision to send a token force of Challenger 2s and mounting impatience amongst NATO allies. There is a sense of opportunity to launch another offensive against Russian positions in East Ukraine, but there is a time pressure as the Kremlin likely seeks to regain initiative in the near future. Germany’s power to authorise Leopard 2 donations makes it key to determining whether Ukraine has the materiel it needs to weather 2023.”