The way I got it VdL is the militarist and the one pushing for more money and the one who wanted to fullfil the 2% demanded by NATO and Trump. There have been talks that one day she may follow Stoltenberg at NATO and many would have seen her there rather than Commision Precident of the EU. She is comes over to many as an adamant atlanticist and seems to have a great dislike for Putin and Russia. I am curious how this will work out between Bruxelles and Russia - some people seem to forget that despite everything Russia is the biggest european country.

I don't know about much resistance against her within the department of Defense - according to what I read she seemed have had quite a tight grip and is able to push through what she really wants.

And about McKinsey what it looks like it is not a million but millions accumulated over the years, which is now being investigated. There is also squandering of money under her rule with the renovation of the Gorch Fock which should have cost 9 millions and courentlly is at 135 million and counting, just as an other example. And these complains are not just about the current department but also about the two before them.

I hope that you might be right, that the perception of her - mine and others is not all there is, and that maybe in her new position she can show the rest of what she has to offer. If her speech indicates what she really wants, she might be tough enough to push it through - but I just can not yet get ride of my bad feeling about her and unfortunately to often I found that my feeling was right. However for the sake of the EU and Europe I would really love to be wrong and experience that she is way more competent than she was given credit for.

The whole mess started with her predecessor. Remember smart and fashionable von Guttenberg? Seehofer's favourite prince, who resigned because he so blatantly plagiarized his Phd thesis (probably had it ghostwritten). He is allegedly at fault for starving the army of resources and causing the perpetual state of bad repair.

VdL brought the magic consultants in to fix the dysfunctional procurement process. Even one of her secretaries of state was a former senior McKinsey consultant. Well, where did all those contracts come from? As the major unforced error on her part, early-on she attested the troops an "attitude problem". Which immediately lost her trust among the military. From then on it was basically over.

And now AKK is supposed to cut a decent enough figure in that post. At least for a while until Merkel steps off. So that she can credibly be in the pole position come a new election, having spent time on the Federal work bench. Until very recently she upheld a 'sacrosanct' promise to spend her full energy on being the CDU chief to renew the party. Her appointment is thus not going down well with the party members. But given the lack of other credible contenders, she is still likely to end up with the top job.

_{Schengen is toast!}