German defence minister lashes out at Scholz over drones debate

German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) over the weekend publicly attacked SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz (SPD), saying he should not “cheat and deceive” when it comes to the current domestic discussion over armed drones.

Kramp-Karrenbauer criticised Scholz on Twitter for not clearly stating in an interview with newspaper Der Tagesspiegel whether he was in favour of drones and that he should present a clear commitment before the elections at the end of September.

The defence minister also criticised the finance minister for having overlooked “the immediately available and armed HeronTP” acquired in 2020, for which the contract and proposals for financing are ready and have been on his “desk for months.” She even offered to re-file the documents if Scholz’s ministry had ‘lost’ them.

The comments come at a time when Scholz’s party are leading in the polls by a significant margin, having overtaken Kramp-Karrenbauer’s conservative bloc at the start of August.

Scholz and the SPD had always been on the side of parties who oppose arming drones, as have the Greens. The German military’s involvement in the Kabul airport evacuation had strengthened the proponents of armed drones and raised awareness among voters.

Kramp-Karrenbauer has publicly stated that she would like to take up the post of defence minister for a second time but was not featured in the future cabinet proposed by conservative chancellor hopeful Armin Laschet.

(Nikolaus J. Kurmayer  | EURACTIV.de)