The Federal Minister of Agriculture looks like he's having fun. A smile is on his face as he reports his duty to the inspector of the armed forces base. With his right hand he taps his temple in a military salute, on his shoulders emblazoned the two stars of a first lieutenant.

Oliver Kuehn

Editor in politics.

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Last week, Cem Özdemir (Greens) was not only a minister for four days, but also an officer of the reserve, who is taking part in a military exercise. "My days off before Easter I spend with the Bundeswehr," wrote Özdemir to the picture on Twitter.

His motivation was twofold, he told the F.A.Z.: "On the one hand, curiosity and interest – I just want to know what I'm voting on when I send young people on missions as a member of parliament. But it is also gratitude and respect for the soldiers of the parliamentary army who serve our country."

At the "official event for information in the armed forces base", as it is called in Bundeswehr German, Özdemir and the Green MP Niklas Wagener got to know the Feldjägertruppe, helped the logistics with the loading of vehicles, completed shooting and driving training and experienced how the NBC defense works. Both Özdemir and Wagener did not do military service.

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The 57-year-old Özdemir, who took German citizenship at the age of 18, was never drafted and the 24-year-old Wagener – a member of the defense committee – is too young to have done so. After 2019, it was Özdemir's second military exercise. With these events, the Bundeswehr wants to influence the public. They are intended to offer "multipliers" such as civilian executives or political elected representatives insights into the military and thus ensure greater acceptance in society.

Both politicians praised the soldiers involved. "We have highly motivated people there who are doing a really great job," Wagener told F.A.Z. But the soldiers also have worries that they are now taking with them. Above all, it is about the future. "The questions I was asked were above all: What if the Ukraine war is over – will interest in the Bundeswehr continue or will it decline? Will the Bundeswehr be forgotten again because it is believed that security issues are no longer relevant?" reported Özdemir.

Both the minister and the MP say they have assured the soldiers that there will be no return to the situation before the Ukrainian war. The two Greens were received positively throughout, they report. "There was very broad acceptance of the soldiers. Many have told me that they come from somewhere else politically, but think it's great that someone comes to them, is interested in them, lends a hand," said Özdemir.

The malice is inevitable

But there was also criticism from the public. While Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann and Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (all FDP) pointed to their own military exercises, the parliamentary manager of the Left Party in the Bundestag, Jan Korte, wrote on Twitter: "Always nice to see that a minister is fully absorbed in his portfolio. Have fun lying around in the field!"

The criticism from the Union was less sarcastic. Henning Otte (CDU), reservist and deputy chairman of the defense committee, told the F.A.Z. that it was right that the Federal Minister of Agriculture gained an insight into the Bundeswehr. However, he would find it "at least as important if Özdemir would devote himself to his actual field of activity".

CSU deputy Florian Hahn, also a reservist and member of the defense committee, told the F.A.Z. that he would be happy if the Greens' attitude to support the Bundeswehr had changed. "I hope that it is not just a show story for a few good photos, but that Mr. Özdemir's interest is meant honestly," Hahn said. Cem Özdemir does not contest the criticism: "That was to be expected, the usual suspects are expressing themselves. But I can stand it."