Former Minister of Defence of Germany, Hamburg
Volker Rühe served as Minister of Defence from 1992-1998 and Secretary-General of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1989-1992.
From 1962-1968 Rühe studied German as well as English language and literature and subsequently entered directly into the teaching profession. Already in 1963 he joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and in 1976 he was elected into the German Bundestag for his home city of Hamburg. Beginning in 1989 he served as the Secretary-General for his party until he became Minister of Defence in 1992 under Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
During his tenure as Minister of Defence, Rühe witnessed the evolution of the army mandate from strictly a national defence to support of UN missions in Cambodia, Somalia and the Balkans. Also during this time, the German Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) adapted to its new role within Europe and also began cooperating with former states of the Eastern block.
Upon leaving the office of Minister of Defence in 1998, Rühe was elected Deputy Chairman of the CDU and resumed the position of Speaker for policy in foreign affairs, security, domestic policy and development assistance.