Ansgar Meyer never had any points of contact in his long military career with the Special Forces Command (KSK), which he will soon take over.

Until this spring.

Then the elite soldiers became his life insurance.

Meyer, 56 years old, is currently the commander of the last German Afghanistan contingent.

His job: tidy up, clear out, pull away - and avoid losses in the process.

The KSK soldiers should take care of that.

They will be the last to stand between their comrades and the Taliban.

Lorenz Hemicker

Editor in politics

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    As of September 1st, life insurance between Meyer and the KSK will be reciprocal.

    Because Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) announced on Tuesday that the brigadier general will then take over the KSK with his around 1,500 members in Calw, whose continued existence was in question after a series of scandals.

    Meyer's appointment surprised some experts.

    The general principle in the Bundeswehr is that the person appointed should be at least halfway knowledgeable about such important sling chairs.

    Kramp-Karrenbauer, however, does not seem to trust the natural candidate with a background of special forces after the scandals of recent years that drove the command to the brink of disintegration, or at least not yet fully trust them again.

    However, the leadership of the KSK evidently does not currently require a revolutionary or a reformer with in-depth knowledge of the details.

    The major reconstruction of the command, which was almost completed under Meyer's predecessor Markus Kreitmayr, needs to be completed.

    Smaller follow-up orders from the minister, on the other hand, are of little consequence.

    In any case, it should be more important for them that the commando go about their not entirely normal work and that one thing remains above all: free of scandals.

    Meyer, who joined the German Armed Forces in 1984, brings with him a wealth of experience with many leadership positions in the armored forces, the Ministry of Defense and subordinate areas as well as a total of three missions abroad in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

    Of course, that does not say whether he will manage to bring calm to the KSK. It will also depend on the extent to which the soldiers want to follow him despite his lack of a special forces background. In this way they will have a say in the weal and evil not only of their command, but also of their commander. Just like in Afghanistan today. A catastrophe for the KSK would be renewed right-wing extremist activities, as they became known on Tuesday by German soldiers in Lithuania.