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NATO picks Carsten Breuer to chair its Military Committee from 2027
The current inspector general of the Bundeswehr was chosen in Copenhagen to lead the alliance’s top military body. He is due to take over from Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone in July 2027.
NATO has selected Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer as the future chair of its Military Committee, according to Der Spiegel, which cited a statement from the body. The decision was made at a meeting in Copenhagen, where he was chosen to succeed Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.
Der Spiegel reported that Breuer defeated Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff Jennie Carignan, who would have become the first woman to head the committee. He is expected to assume the post in July 2027.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Breuer had shown strategic foresight in his current role and played a key part in reshaping the Bundeswehr, the magazine reported. Breuer, in remarks cited by DPA and referenced by Der Spiegel, thanked NATO allies’ chiefs of staff for their support and said his goal would be to bring together the perspectives of all member states and provide substantial military advice within the alliance.
The chair of the Military Committee is regarded as one of NATO’s most influential military positions, alongside the supreme allied commander in Europe. The role serves as the secretary general’s top military adviser and as the link through which the joint recommendations of allied chiefs of staff are passed to the alliance’s political decision-making bodies.
Der Spiegel noted that the last German to hold the position was General Harald Kujat, who led the committee from July 2002 to June 2005. The magazine also described Breuer’s election as a sign of appreciation for Germany’s recent contribution to strengthening Europe’s defense capabilities.
Breuer has served as inspector general since March 2023 and is responsible for reorganizing and reinforcing the Bundeswehr following the security shift triggered by Russia’s war against Ukraine, Der Spiegel recalled. Before that, he commanded the Territorial Command of the Bundeswehr, which he helped build, and had also gained public prominence as head of the federal government’s coronavirus crisis staff.
According to the German outlet, the appointment also raises the question of who will replace him at the top of the Bundeswehr. Among the names mentioned were Ingo Gerhartz, now heading NATO’s operational headquarters in Brunssum, and Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, the current chief of the German Army.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
