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The Federal Minister of Defence (Template:Langx) is the head of the Federal Ministry of Defence and a member of the Federal Cabinet.
According to Article 65a of the German Constitution (Template:Langx), the Federal Minister of Defence is commander-in-chief (Template:Langx) of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, in peacetime.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Conversely, when a state of defence is declared, the Federal Chancellor becomes commander-in-chief.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The highest-ranking military officer in the Bundeswehr is the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (Template:Langx).
The current Federal Minister of Defence is Boris Pistorius, since 19 January 2023.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
List of officeholdersEdit
Ministers of Defence, 1919–1935Edit
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Minister of War, 1935–1938Edit
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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)Edit
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Minister of War, 1945Edit
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Karl Dönitz was named as Minister of War in Hitler's testament.
Ministers of Defence of the GDR, 1956–1990Edit
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Ministers of Defence (Bundesminister der Verteidigung), since 1955Edit
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