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Manfred Wörner | |
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| 7th Secretary General of NATO | |
| In office 1 July 1988 – 13 August 1994 | |
| Preceded by | The Lord Carrington |
| Succeeded by | Sergio Balanzino (acting) Willy Claes |
| Federal Minister of Defence (West Germany) | |
| In office 4 October 1982 – 18 May 1988 | |
| Chancellor | Helmut Kohl |
| Preceded by | Hans Apel |
| Succeeded by | Rupert Scholz |
| Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in theBundestag | |
| In office 20 October 1969 – 13 December 1972 | |
| Member of theBundestag | |
| In office 19 October 1965 – 30 June 1988 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Manfred Hermann Wörner (1934-09-24)24 September 1934 |
| Died | 13 August 1994(1994-08-13) (aged 59) |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
| Spouse(s) | Anna-Maria Casar (1972–1982) Elfrie Hartwig Reinsch (1982–1994) |
| Alma mater | University of Heidelberg University of Paris Ph.D.University of Munich |
| Profession | Diplomat |
Manfred Hermann Wörner (24 September 1934 – 13 August 1994[1]) was a Germanpolitician and diplomat. He served as thedefense minister ofWest Germany between 1982 and 1988. He then served as theseventhSecretary General of NATO from 1988 to 1994. His term as Secretary General saw the end of theCold War and theGerman reunification. Whilst serving in that position, he was diagnosed with cancer, but, in spite of his illness, continued serving until his final days.
He grew up in his grandfather's house in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt and attended the Johannes-Kepler-Gymnasium there. He was married toElfie Wörner, who supported several German army related humanitarian agencies, and who died of a tumor on 4 July 2006.
Aftergraduation in 1953 he studied law atHeidelberg,Paris, andMunich. He finished his studies in 1957 with the first and in 1961 the secondStaatsexamen. He got his Dr. jur. in 1961 writing aboutInternational law. Afterwards he worked for the administration ofBaden-Württemberg. He was a county official forOehringen until 1962, for the Baden-WürttembergLandtag until 1965 and the CountyGöppingen. Wörner was a jet pilot and reserve officer in theLuftwaffe.
Wörner was a member of the GermanCDU and was elected to theGerman parliament, representingGöppingen.[citation needed]
On 4 October 1982 he was appointed Federal Minister of Defence inHelmut Kohl's government. Wörner played an important role in defendingNATO's decision to deploy intermediate-range ballistic missilesIRBM after arms reduction talks with theSoviet Union to reverse Soviet deployment of itsSS-20 intermediate-range ballistic missilesIRBM from the years before.[citation needed]
In 1983, Wörner faced criticism due to the scandal surrounding German GeneralGünter Kießling. The German military secret service had accused Kießling of beinghomosexual—this was later revealed to be a case of mistaken identity—and Wörner had ordered Kießling's early retirement, as homosexuality was considered a security risk at the time. Kießling insisted on disciplinary procedures against himself and eventually achieved his reinstatement. Wörner accepted political responsibility for the affair, and on 18 May 1984, he offered his resignation, which was rejected by German ChancellorHelmut Kohl.[citation needed]
In December 1987, the 16 members ofNATO elected Wörner Secretary General. He was the first German to be appointed to that position. Resigning from his post in the German government, he took office on 1 July 1988.
An address given by Wörner[2] in 1990 to theBremer Tabak Collegium became a subject of a controversy[3][4][5] whenVladimir Putin cited it in his 2007 speech at 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy[6] to claim that NATO made a promise not to expand eastward after the end of theCold War.
Wörner executed his duties as NATO Secretary General despite severe illness and until his death fromcolorectal cancer in 1994. He is buried at the cemetery of Hohenstaufen nearbyGöppingen.
In December 1972 Wörner married Anna-Maria Caesar. From 1982 until his death he was married withElfie Wörner, née Reinsch (1941–2006).[citation needed]
Since 1996, the Ministry of Defense has awarded theManfred Wörner Medal on an annual basis to honour public figures who have rendered "special meritorious service to peace and freedom in Europe".
Since then it was given to:
TheManfred-Wörner-Seminar, a security-policy information seminar of the German Federal Ministry of Defense for young civilian executive personnel from Germany, the United States and other European nations, is named after Manfred Wörner to honour his merits on transatlantic dialogue and understanding.
Wörner Gap onLivingston Island in theSouth Shetland Islands,Antarctica is named after Dr. Wörner in recognition of his contribution to European unification.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Federal Minister of Defence (Germany) 1982–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary General of NATO 1988–1994 | Succeeded by |
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