Ursula von der Leyen launches a hunt for the “bad elements” of the German army
(B2 in Illkirch) The German Defense Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived at the very beginning of the afternoon in the Leclerc district, in Illkirch-Graffenstaden (south of Strasbourg) for an update on the values of the German army.
It is here that the German soldier Franco A, suspected of wanting to commit an attack, was assigned to the 291st battalion of hunters of the Franco-German brigade (BFA) (read: Mix of genres. A German BFA soldier suspected of planning a racist attack). A visit decided the day before in an emergency (cancelling in passing a planned trip to the United States) in order to reinforce the message of the minister, subjected to strong criticism on the national scene, in particular from the armed forces. Narrative...
A strong message: internal failures to be resolved
Accompanied by the inspector General Volker Wieker (Chief of Staff of the German Army) and Inspector General Jörg Vollmer (Head of the Land Army), Ursula von der Leyen wanted to send a clear message. Whether " the vast majority of [German] soldiers have all the respectt” from the minister, “ it is important to dig deeper if something has gone wrong ». « We are at the beginning of a long process. » There is " still a lot to come, but it's worth it “Assures the minister. Internally, it will be necessary to explain how the soldier was able to have a career for so long in the ranks of the Bundeswehr, without being worried ". And she plans to get there soon.
Weaknesses in the leadership of the army
Starting tomorrow, Thursday May 4, she will meet in Berlin a hundred senior officers of the German army to discuss " training, in view of recent scandals and their consequences ". In Illkirch, Von der Leyen also announced a revision of the Code of Military Discipline. The Minister also confirmed the remarks made in an interview with the daily Bild, where she denounced " leadership weaknesses” in the army and a misplaced esprit de corps leading to minimizing deviations.
Political communication operation
Von der Leyen came, in person, to get an idea of the progress of the investigation that she herself ordered last week. But the visit was also (and above all) a communication operation to restore the image of the minister, who has been harmed at the start of the electoral campaign (in Germany).
A package review... in detail
Arrived around 14 p.m., the minister only stayed in the base for a few hours. Still, the trick was meticulous. And the press kept at a safe distance from the minister to avoid any untimely questions. After a first meeting with the senior German officers, she insisted on meeting several soldiers. She also visited the workplace of Franco A. as well as the different living areas of German soldiers.
Scenery glorifying the Nazi past
In his room, the investigators found a weapon decorated with a swastika, a poster of soldiers of the Third Reich and various documents to the glory of the Nazis, announced the minister. In the "bunker", the non-commissioned officers' leisure room, to which B2 had access, the walls are decorated with drawings of soldiers reminiscent of those of the Wehrmacht... A detail that the Minister has moreover " lso deplored » sharply : « The Wehrmacht has nothing in common with the Bundeswehr. [It] cannot inspire any form of tradition. »
The absent French
On the French side, the service has been reduced to a minimum. Only General Nicolas Casanova, head of the 2nd Armored Brigade (2nd BB), received the minister on her arrival at Eintzeim airport and in the Leclerc district. But he did it mostly in his capacity as military governor of Strasbourg ". Moreover, the minister's visit was not announced by French press officials. The French media could hardly be counted on the fingers of one hand. On the other hand, on the German side, a good dozen televisions and about fifteen journalists, some of whom arrived on the minister's plane, were present.
(Leonor Hubaut)
