# List of German defence ministers

The Federal Minister of Defence (German: Bundesminister der Verteidigung) is the head of the Federal Ministry of Defence and a member of the Federal Cabinet.
According to Article 65a of the German Constitution (German: Grundgesetz), the Federal Minister of Defence is commander-in-chief (German: Inhaber der Befehls- und Kommandogewalt) of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, in peacetime. Conversely, when a state of defence is declared, the Federal Chancellor becomes commander-in-chief. The highest-ranking military officer in the Bundeswehr is the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (German: Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr).
The current Federal Minister of Defence is Boris Pistorius, since 19 January 2023.

## List of officeholders
### Ministers of Defence, 1919–1935

| No. | Minister of Defence | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
| 1 | Noske, GustavGustav Noske (1868–1946) | 13 February 1919 | 22 March 1920 | 1 year, 38 days | SPD | Scheidemann Bauer |
| 2 | Gessler, OttoOtto Gessler (1875–1955) | 27 March 1920 | 19 January 1928 | 7 years, 298 days | DDP | Müller I Fehrenbach Wirth I−II Cuno Stresemann I−II Marx I−II Luther I−II Marx III−IV |
| 3 | Groener, WilhelmWilhelm Groener (1867–1939) | 19 January 1928 | 30 May 1932 | 4 years, 132 days | Independent | Marx IV Müller II Brüning I−II |
| 4 | Schleicher, KurtKurt von Schleicher (1882–1934) | 1 June 1932 | 28 January 1933 | 243 days | Independent | Papen Schleicher |
| 5 | Blomberg, WernerWerner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 28 January 1933 | 21 May 1935 | 2 years, 113 days | Independent | Schleicher Hitler |

### Minister of War, 1935–1938

| No. | Portrait | Minister of War | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
| 1 | | Blomberg, WernerWerner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 21 May 1935 | 27 January 1938 | 2 years, 251 days | Independent | Hitler |
In 1938 the Ministry of War was abolished and replaced by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), as a result of the Blomberg–Fritsch affair.

### Chief of the OKW (de facto Minister of War, 1938–1945)

| No. | Portrait | Chief of the OKW | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
| 1 | | Keitel, WilhelmWilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) | 4 February 1938 | 13 May 1945 | 7 years, 98 days | Independent | Hitler Goebbels Schwerin von Krosigk |
| 2 | | Jodl, AlfredAlfred Jodl (1890–1946) | 13 May 1945 | 23 May 1945 | 10 days | Independent | Schwerin von Krosigk |

### Ministers of Defence of the GDR, 1956–1990

| No. | Minister of Defence | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Chairman |
| 1 | Stoph, WilliWilli Stoph (1914–1999) | 1 March 1956 | 14 July 1960 | 4 years, 135 days | SED | Grotewohl |
| 2 | Hoffmann, HeinzHeinz Hoffmann (1910–1985) | 14 July 1960 | 2 December 1985 † | 25 years, 141 days | SED | Grotewohl Stoph Sindermann Stoph |
| 3 | Kessler, HeinzHeinz Kessler (1920–2017) | 3 December 1985 | 18 November 1989 | 3 years, 351 days | SED | Stoph Modrow |
| 4 | Hoffmann, TheodorTheodor Hoffmann (1935–2018) | 18 November 1989 | 12 April 1990 | 145 days | SED | Modrow |
| 5 | Eppelmann, RainerRainer Eppelmann (born 1943) | 12 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 | 173 days | DA | de Maizière |

### Ministers of Defence (Bundesminister der Verteidigung), since 1955

| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
| 1 | Blank, TheodorTheodor Blank (1905–1972) | 7 June 1955 | 16 October 1956 | 1 year, 131 days | CDU | Adenauer II |
| 2 | Strauß, FranzFranz Josef Strauß (1915–1988) | 16 October 1956 | 9 January 1963 | 6 years, 85 days | CSU | Adenauer II–V |
| 3 | Hassel, Kai-UweKai-Uwe von Hassel (1913–1997) | 9 January 1963 | 1 December 1966 | 3 years, 326 days | CDU | Erhard I–II |
| 4 | Schröder, GerhardGerhard Schröder (1910–1989) | 1 December 1966 | 21 October 1969 | 2 years, 324 days | CDU | Kiesinger I |
| 5 | Schmidt, HelmutHelmut Schmidt (1918–2015) | 22 October 1969 | 7 July 1972 | 2 years, 259 days | SPD | Brandt I |
| 6 | Leber, GeorgGeorg Leber (1920–2012) | 7 July 1972 | 16 February 1978 | 5 years, 224 days | SPD | Brandt I–II Schmidt I–II |
| 7 | Apel, HansHans Apel (1932–2011) | 17 February 1978 | 1 October 1982 | 4 years, 226 days | SPD | Schmidt II–III |
| 8 | Wörner, ManfredManfred Wörner (1934–1994) | 4 October 1982 | 18 May 1988 | 5 years, 227 days | CDU | Kohl I–II–III |
| 9 | Scholz, RupertRupert Scholz (born 1937) | 18 May 1988 | 21 April 1989 | 338 days | CDU | Kohl III |
| 10 | Stoltenberg, GerhardGerhard Stoltenberg (1928–2001) | 21 April 1989 | 31 March 1992 | 2 years, 345 days | CDU | Kohl III–IV |
| 11 | Rühe, VolkerVolker Rühe (born 1942) | 1 April 1992 | 26 October 1998 | 6 years, 188 days | CDU | Kohl IV–V |
| 12 | Scharping, RudolfRudolf Scharping (born 1947) | 27 October 1998 | 19 July 2002 | 3 years, 265 days | SPD | Schröder I |
| 13 | Struck, PeterPeter Struck (1943–2012) | 19 July 2002 | 22 November 2005 | 3 years, 126 days | SPD | Schröder II |
| 14 | Jung, FranzFranz Josef Jung (born 1949) | 22 November 2005 | 28 October 2009 | 3 years, 340 days | CDU | Merkel I |
| 15 | Guttenberg, Karl-TheodorKarl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (born 1971) | 28 October 2009 | 3 March 2011 | 1 year, 126 days | CSU | Merkel II |
| 16 | Maizière, ThomasThomas de Maizière (born 1954) | 3 March 2011 | 17 December 2013 | 2 years, 289 days | CDU | Merkel II |
| 17 | Leyen, UrsulaUrsula von der Leyen (born 1958) | 17 December 2013 | 17 July 2019 | 5 years, 212 days | CDU | Merkel III–IV |
| 18 | Kramp, AnnegretAnnegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (born 1962) | 17 July 2019 | 8 December 2021 | 2 years, 144 days | CDU | Merkel IV |
| 19 | Lambrecht, ChristineChristine Lambrecht (born 1965) | 8 December 2021 | 19 January 2023 | 1 year, 42 days | SPD | Scholz |
| 20 | Pistorius, BorisBoris Pistorius (born 1960) | 19 January 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 278 days | SPD | Scholz |