Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was Germany’s Federal Minister of Defence from 2019 to 2021. Before that, she made a successful career in Saarland state politics, where she was State Premier for seven years until 2018. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (*1962) studied law and political science at the universities of Trier and Saarbrücken from 1982 to 1990. In 1981 Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer became a member of the CDU and the Frauen Union, the women’s section of the CDU. After University she had various positions within the town council of her hometown Püttlingen and later on within the CDU Saar and the state parliamentary group. From 1999 to 2018, she was a member of the Saarland state parliament. From 2000 until 2004 she was Minister of the Interior and Sport and as such Germany’s first female minister of the interior. From 2004 to 2007 she was Minister of the Interior, Family Affairs, Women and Sport, Saarland and then until 2009 Minister of Education, Women, Family Affairs and Culture, Saarland. From 2009 until 2011 Kramp-Karrenbauer was Minister of Labour, Family, Preventive Action, Social Affairs and Sport, Saarland. In 2011 she became Minister of Justice she became State Premier Saarland for the following seven years. She has been deputy federal chairperson of the Frauen Union since 2003, a member of the CDU presidium since 2010 and a member of her party's executive committee since 2011. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was Secretary General of the CDU before being elected Party Chair in 2018, succeeding Angela Merkel in this position. From 2019 to 2021 she was Germany’s Federal Minister of Defence. During her tenure the war in Afghanistan took place as well as the withdrawal of troops and the Ukraine conflict. Nationally, Kramp-Karrenbauer successfully negotiated an increase in the defence budget. Internationally, she advocated strengthening the military capabilities of the European NATO countries and was in favour of a tougher stance by NATO in the dispute with Russia. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was a popular and respected Defence Minister. After the 2021 federal elections, she gave up her seat in the Bundestag and resigned from federal politics as well as from the CDU leadership. As a speaker, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer convinces with her professional competence, clear attitude and a wealth of experience in geopolitics and international relations, which enables her to open new perspectives on many different areas.