Inspector General Breuer becomes Chairman of the NATO Military Committee

It is one of the most influential positions in NATO - and in the future it will be held by a German: Inspector General Breuer has been elected as the new chairman of the NATO Military Committee. He thus becomes an advisor to Secretary General Rutte. The German Inspector General Carsten Breuer has been elected as the new Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. Germany's highest-ranking soldier was appointed as the successor to Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone at a meeting of the panel in Copenhagen, as NATO announced.

Breuer prevailed against Canadian Chief of Staff Jennie Carignan, who, if elected, would have become the first woman to head the military committee. This means that in the summer of 2027, after more than 20 years, a German will once again take over as the most important military advisor to the Secretary-General. Breuer thanked "for the trust placed in me". “The support of the Chiefs of Staff of our NATO allies means a lot to me.

We have great tasks ahead of us in the alliance - for our security and peace in Europe and beyond, "he told the dpa news agency. Breuer becomes an adviser to NATO Secretary General Rutte The Chairman of the Military Committee is considered one of NATO's most influential militaries, along with the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Europe (Saceur). The 61-year-old becomes direct military adviser to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte when he takes office. In the future, Breuer will sit at the head of NATO's supreme military body and thus at the interface between politics and the military.

In addition, instructions and guidelines from the Military Committee are forwarded to the strategic commanders of NATO as well as to the Director-General of the International Military Staff. The NATO Military Committee is NATO's highest military body. In it, high-ranking military officers represent the Member States, usually the respective Chiefs of Staff or their representatives. The committee advises the North Atlantic Council, NATO's most important political decision-making body, on military issues.

He translates political decisions into military specifications and advises on strategy, operations, capabilities and defence planning. Pistorius: NATO faces "historic tasks" Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz said about Breuer's election that Germany assumes responsibility in the Alliance in demanding times. “We are grateful for the trust our allies place in us,” Merz wrote on X. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) certified Breuer's strategic foresight.

He had played a decisive role in helping to reorganise the Bundeswehr. "Now he will bring all his strength and experience to NATO, which faces great, historic challenges." Succession of Breuer still open The election of Breuer is also seen in the alliance as a sign of appreciation for the fact that the Federal Republic has recently made a significant contribution to increasing European defence capabilities. According to NATO figures, Germany currently ranks first in Europe in defence spending with around 125 billion euros, and since this year it has occupied more top positions than the USA in the alliance's military command structure. Breuer has been Inspector General of the Bundeswehr since 2023 and is therefore militarily responsible for the reorganization and strengthening of the Bundeswehr, which was initiated after the "turn of the century" - triggered by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

After Breuer's election in the coming months, Defense Minister Pistorius is now faced with the decision of whom he will instead place at the military head of the Bundeswehr.