At a meeting held on Saturday, the Chiefs of Staff of NATO member states elected Carsten Breuer, the German General Inspector of the Bundeswehr, as the future Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. Breuer is scheduled to take over from Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone in mid-2027. He defeated Jennie Carignan, the Chief of Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces, in the election.
Boris Pistorius, the Federal Minister of Defence, stated that the choice of Breuer was “excellent news for the Alliance.” He emphasized that the threat, particularly from Russia, is increasing, requiring European partners to focus even more intensely on their own security and conventional deterrence. According to Pistorius, Breuer is “exactly the right person” to lead these processes successfully alongside the Allies. Until he makes the transition to NATO, Breuer will continue to focus fully on his duties as General Inspector of the Bundeswehr.
The NATO Military Committee serves as NATO’s supreme military advisory body. It provides counsel to political decision-makers on all military issues, functions by coordinating the armed forces of member states, and is crucial in translating political decisions of NATO into concrete military plans and actions. This role positions the committee as a vital interface between the military and political leadership levels of the alliance.
