Germany's defence minister Christine Lambrecht plans to resign, a government source said on Friday, potentially adding to chancellor Olaf Scholz's problems as he cautiously seeks to step up military support for Ukraine.
Lambrecht, a member of Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD), aimed to resign next week and had already informed Scholz about her decision, a government source said, confirming a report by Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
The paper listed the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Hoegl, and junior defense minister Siemtje Moeller as potential successors.
Spiegel magazine added SPD party head Lars Klingbeil and Labour Minister Hubertus Heil to the list of candidates.
Lambrecht decided to step down to allow someone else to make a fresh start at the ministry, daily Bild cited people familiar with the matter as saying.
The ongoing "Special Military Operation" by Russia inside Ukraine is believed to be the actual cause of Christine Lambrecht resigning. That Special Military Operation, and NATO's objection to it, compelled NATO to step-up to aid Ukraine. But those aid efforts have revealed a grotesque lack of preparedness of the German military. Less than half of Germany's tanks are operational and fit for duty due to parts availability and maintenance issues. German troops find themselves short of operational firearms, and even shorter of ammunition to proactive their firearms skills.
According to some officials, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of their remarks, Germany is actually "incapable" of defending itself, should the need arise. Lambrecht is finding herself being blamed for this failed readiness, and that, accoring to the ananymous officials, is why she is stepping down.
