He acknowledged that the army's task was enormous and promised to work closely and in a spirit of trust with the military. Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Lars Klingbeil said Pistorius was the right man for the position of defence minister in difficult times.
62-year-old Boris Pistorius, who has been Mayor of Osnabruck for seven years and has served as Minister of the Interior and Sports of Lower Saxony state since 2013, took his oath of office in parliament in Berlin.
