Germany to appoint regional official as defense minister

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he is appointing a regional official as Germany’s new defense minister following the resignation of the much-criticized Christine Lambrecht. The defense minister-designate, Boris Pistorius, is a member of Scholz’ Social Democrats, and has served as interior minister of Lower Saxony state since 2013. He is set to take his oath of office on Thursday. Pistorius is inheriting the job of steering Germany’s military modernization program and overseeing weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Scholz described him on Tuesday as “exactly the right person to lead the Bundeswehr through this change of era.” Lambrecht announced her resignation on Monday. Critics had long portrayed her as being out of her depth.