German General Carsten Breuer, the country’s highest ranking military officer, will be the next chairman of NATO’s Military Committee following a vote on Saturday.
Breuer, Germany’s chief of defence, was elected to succeed Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone at a meeting of the committee in Copenhagen, the committee said.
Breuer is due to take over in July 2027.
He defeated Canada’s Chief of Defence General Jennie Carignan, who would have become the first woman to head the Military Committee had she been elected.
Breuer thanked his colleagues “for the confidence they have placed in me.”
“The support of the chiefs of defence of our NATO allies means a great deal to me. The alliance faces major challenges – for our security and peace in Europe and beyond,” he told dpa.
As chairman of the Military Committee, his task will be to bring together the perspectives of all member states and provide substantive military advice to the alliance.
“I have the utmost respect for this responsibility and am very much looking forward to taking on this challenging and important role and to shouldering responsibility for peace and freedom within our alliance together with our allies,” Breuer said.
The chairman of the Military Committee is regarded, alongside the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), as one of NATO’s most influential military figures.
He is the secretary general’s principal military adviser and serves as the link through which the joint recommendations of the chiefs of defence of all NATO allies are submitted to the alliance’s political decision-making bodies.
He also transmits the Military Committee’s directives and guidance to NATO’s strategic commanders and the director general of the international military staff.
The last German to hold the post was General Harald Kujat, who had the job more than two decades ago. He, too, had previously served as chief of defence of the Bundeswehr, or German Armed Forces, and was chairman of the Military Committee from July 2002 to June 2005.
Breuer’s election is also seen within the alliance as recognition of Germany’s significant recent contribution to strengthening European defence capabilities.
According to NATO figures, Germany currently ranks clearly first in Europe in defence spending, at around €125 billion ($143.5 billion).
Since this year, Germany has also held more senior positions in the alliance’s military command structure than the United States.
The aim is to enable the United States to use freed-up resources and troops for a major expansion of its deterrence capabilities in the Indo-Pacific. The US no longer sees Russia, but China, as the main challenge to its own security interests.