Germany’s top military official, General Carsten Breuer, has been selected to take over as the next chair of NATO’s Military Committee, ensuring he will have a prominent place in the military leadership of the alliance.
The chiefs of defence of the 32 countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) decided Saturday at the alliance’s annual Military Committee Conference in Copenhagen. NATO officially confirmed that Breuer will be appointed in summer 2027 and that his term will be for a period of three years.
Breuer will replace the Italian Admiral, Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, who is the current chair of the committee. The German general received praise from Dragone for his experience in operations, NATO expertise and leadership in 2021 and his expertise in leading Germany’s military forces.
The Military Committee is NATO’s supreme military body composed of the chiefs of defence of the NATO members’ states. It advises the political leadership of NATO and coordinates the NATO’s member countries’ military recommendations.
Breuer, as chair, will closely collaborate with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and will be a crucial connection between the military and political leadership of the alliance. The role is independent of the office of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe in charge of NATO’s military operations.
The election took place during a wider NATO meeting on boosting collective defence, bolstering military capabilities, increasing the use of new technologies, and further support for Ukraine. The talks were also intended to put into practice decisions made at the NATO’s recent summit in the Turkish capital Ankara, NATO said.
Since March 2023, Breuer, 61, has served as Germany’s Inspector General of the Bundeswehr. Prior to this, he was the commander of the Bundeswehr Territorial Command and he gained wide recognition in Germany after being head of the COVID-19 crisis staff of the Federal Chancellery under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
His military career started in 1984 and he has served in NATO operations such as in Afghanistan. He has a national command experience as well as an experience in international military organization.
Breuer was chosen over Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, who also had been among the candidates for the NATO job. After the meeting in Copenhagen, Carignan was not selected, according to Canadian media reports.
In Germany, the appointment follows the growing emphasis on defence and on Germany’s role in NATO’s operations. European allies are under increasing pressure to enhance their military power, while Germany will significantly increase defence spending in the next few years, Reuters reported.
The change in leadership will not take place immediately. Dragone will continue to be chairman until Breuer takes over next summer. Germany will also have to find a replacement for Breuer as the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr. Later this year, that German job should fall to Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, Reuters reported.
Breuer’s incoming chairmanship will be followed by his next NATO Military Committee meeting in Brussels in January 2027.
