German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has come under fire from the rightwing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party over her “wrong priorities” for upgrading the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces.
Deputy AfD Federal Chairman Georg Pazderski criticized the minister's plans to tie up resources in the development of uniforms for pregnant soldiers, as opposed to tackling more pressing matters which directly threaten the combat readiness of the German military.
“While the majority of the Bundeswehr's equipment is not operational, von der Leyen is dedicated to the development of uniforms for pregnant female soldiers. A test of 500 uniforms in different sizes and characteristics struck with 650,000 euros to book, from the field clothing on service suits to tights,” Mr. Pazderski was quoted as saying on April 4 by an official party press release.
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He went on to describe Minister von der Leyen's priorities as “wrong,” and questioned the purpose of her initiatives, as pregnant women are unlikely to serve on the battlefields.
“Who sends pregnant women to war? The minister [Ursula von der Leyen] still sets the wrong priorities,” the deputy AfD chairman added.
“It is incomprehensible how such an important task could once again be left to a person like Ursula von der Leyen, who has repeatedly proven her incompetence in recent years. This once again illustrates…
