美国国家公共电台 NPR--German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz accepts his defense minister's resignation

German Chancellor¹ Olaf Scholtz accepts his defense² minister's resignation

Transcript³

The resignation of Germany's defense minister has renewed the debate on the country's lackluster support of Ukraine in the war with Russia.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht resigned yesterday. She's the highest ranking member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Cabinet to do so, and her departure is shining a spotlight⁴ on what many see as Germany's lackluster support of Ukraine and its fight against Russia. Germany announced today that she'll be replaced by politician Boris Pistorius. NPR's Rob Schmitz joins us now from Berlin. Rob, Lambrecht served just over a year as the country's top defense minister. Why did she resign?

ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE⁵: Well, A, like several former German defense ministers, Christine Lambrecht did not have any military experience. And that lack of experience showed after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a $100 billion boost in spending to Germany's armed forces, which suddenly cast a spotlight on Germany's military.

MART?NEZ: Well, you just said that several past defense ministers in Germany didn't have military experience.

SCHMITZ: Yeah, that's right.

MART?NEZ: So what about her replacement⁶? Does he have any military experience?

SCHMITZ: Barely. He did what, at the time, was mandatory⁷ military service for all Germans for just one year. And that's pretty typical, A. Unlike the U.S., where the secretary of defense typically has deep military credentials⁸, here in Germany, the Ministry⁹ of Defense has, since reunification, been underfunded. And the role of defense minister is not seen as a really prestigious¹⁰ Cabinet position. In fact, this position is typically filled with someone who the chancellor either sees as a potential adversary¹¹ and wants to make them go away or someone who has experience heading another ministry and can manage things relatively¹² well. Constantin Wissmann (ph) who's a military expert here in Berlin, calls the position a career shredder.

CONSTANTIN WISSMANN: The chance of staying in office for a long time there is about as great as that of a drummer in a rock band in the '70s. So one former defense secretary, he has called the whole thing an ejection seat, a snake pit and a sack full of mines.

SCHMITZ: That's a pretty colorful description. And unlike some rock drummers in the 1970s, it's not drugs or booze that kills the career of a German defense minister, but it's typically the back-biting nature of the ministry itself. One internal government report characterized it as organized irresponsibility prevails there. And much of this boils down to the ministry's lack of funding.

MART?NEZ: But isn't this lack of funding maybe now changing that there's a war not too far away from Germany's borders?

SCHMITZ: Yeah, and that was part of Christine Lambrecht's problem. Three days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Chancellor Scholz promised a hundred-billion-dollar boost to funding. He called it a (speaking German), German for historical turning point. And that suddenly meant that Lambrecht was overseeing this historical transformation¹³ of the military and that all eyes were suddenly on her. And that scrutiny¹⁴ exposed her inexperience. She made several embarrassing gaffes¹⁵. Early on in the war, when Germany's NATO allies were calling on it to send heavy weaponry into Ukraine, she announced Germany would instead send 5,000 helmets, assuring it would fulfill¹⁶ Ukraine's war objectives. The last straw came on New Year's Eve when she posted an end-of-the-year video message on Instagram. She reflected on the war in Ukraine and all the, quote, "interesting people" she's met since the war started. Here's some of that.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHRISTINE LAMBRECHT: (Speaking German).

MART?NEZ: Yeah, Rob, I can barely hear her over those fireworks.

SCHMITZ: Yup. It was an amateur video in every respect. She was off mic. She was trying to send a heartfelt message to those suffering in a war while she was standing¹⁷ in front of New Year's Eve revellers in Berlin who were setting off fireworks in celebration. The whole message was just completely tone deaf, and she was skewered¹⁸ in the German press for this. Even her own ministry distanced itself from her. And then calls for her resignation just reached a point of no return.

MART?NEZ: That's NPR's Rob Schmitz, joining us from Berlin. Rob, thanks.

SCHMITZ: Thank you.

1 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

7 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

8 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

11 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

12 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

13 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

14 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

15 gaffes   

n.失礼，出丑( gaffe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The presidential candidate made three mistakes, or gaffes, during his speech. 校长候选人在演讲中出了三次错，或失态。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• When the microphones were on, gaffes gushed from his lips. 而当电话响起，他却口无遮拦，屡屡失言。 来自互联网

16 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

17 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

18 skewered   

v.（用串肉扦或类似物）串起，刺穿( skewer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He skewered his victim through the neck. 他用扦子刺穿了受害人的脖子。 来自辞典例句
• He skewered his foot on a nail. 他的脚踩在钉子上了。 来自互联网