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Photographed in February standing up in the open turret of one of Germany's Leopard 2 battle tanks, Pistorius (on the right) seemed bent on recreating the widely mocked public appearance of U.S. presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, who donned a tank crew's helmet and had a ride in one of America's Abrams battle tanks, in September 1988. Credit: Martin Meissner; AP Photo/picture alliance.


At least as recently as February, there was a case to be made that Boris Pistorius was the most well-liked political figure in Germany. According to a telephone survey[ of 1,361 eligible voters conducted February 12-18 and published by public broadcaster ZDF, Pistorius outranked popular Green Party politicians Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economy Minister Robert Habeck.

"BP" became Germany's defense minister in January, As a member of the Social Democrats (SPD), he is firmly anchored within the center left of Germany's political spectrum. He's faced with the nearly Herculean task of overhauling Germany's armed forces, which have long suffered from inadequate funding, a bloated and inefficient administrative bureaucracy, and the aftertaste of some recent embarrassing history.

"Opinion: Germany has one politician who’s serious about arming Ukraine"
Lee Hockstader for the Washington Post; June 1, 2023.
https://www.washingtonpost....ine-boris-pistorius/

"German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius sees popularity soar"
Helen Whittle for DW; February 22, 2023.
https://www.dw.com/en/germa...rity-soar/a-64777234


German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (on the right) in Hammelburg on May 16. Credit: Daniel Loeb; AP.

[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 06-03-2023).]

Looking business-like, if not quite suave, Germany's defense minister has a "can do" attitude when it comes to conventional bureaucratic attire... quite the contrast from that Bundeswehr-issue camo that he was 'rocking" in the previous photo.

[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 06-05-2023).]

quote In an interview before his first official visit to Washington, Germany’s defense minister staked out a broad geopolitical vision, taking pains to indicate that his country is ready to assume a more assertive stance in the face of growing international instability. The defense minister, Boris Pistorius, laid out plans for Germany to increase its arms deliveries and take a more robust role in both the Indo-Pacific region and in military leadership in Europe. He spoke to The New York Times before traveling to meet his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, as well as the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, on Wednesday in Washington. The minister has been a part of Germany’s effort to change allies’ perceptions of his country as reluctant to take up leadership in Europe in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—a view fostered by its slow initial pace in delivering weapons to Kyiv and its stumbling efforts to fulfill a pledge to revitalize its own military. Mr. Pistorius’s candor when discussing such topics has made him one of Germany’s most popular politicians, even when he sometimes goes further than some Germans, still haunted by their country’s World War II history, find comfortable.

This article continues online.

"German Defense Minister Vows Stronger Geopolitical Role Ahead of U.S. Visit"

quote In an interview before his first official trip to Washington, Boris Pistorius made clear he is intent on helping the United States by taking a more assertive stance.

Erika Solomon for the New York Times; June 28, 2023.
https://www.nytimes.com/202...opolitical-role.html

[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 06-28-2023).]