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General Carsten Breuer, Germany’s chief of defence, was selected on Saturday as the next head of NATO’s military committee, the alliance’s supreme military authority and a primary advisory body to its political leadership.
Military chiefs from the 32-nation alliance elected Breuer during a meeting in Copenhagen, the current chair, Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, announced in a post on X. Breuer will assume the role in July 2027, succeeding Dragone for a three-year term that aligns with NATO’s strategic efforts to bolster deterrence against potential Russian aggression by 2029.
Alongside the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), the chairman of the Military Committee is among the most influential figures in NATO. In this role, Breuer will serve as chief military advisor to Secretary-General Mark Rutte and act as the primary bridge conveying recommendations from alliance chiefs of staff to senior political decision-makers.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius praised the appointment, stating that Breuer had demonstrated exceptional strategic foresight and played a pivotal role in restructuring the Bundeswehr.
“Now he will bring all his strength and experience to NATO, which faces major, historic challenges,” Pistorius said, highlighting an escalating threat from Russia as European partners take greater responsibility for conventional deterrence while the United States broadens its strategic focus to other regions, according to German media.
Breuer, Germany’s highest-ranking soldier, has served as Inspector General of the Bundeswehr since March 2023. He previously led the Bundeswehr’s Territorial Command, which he established, and gained national prominence directing the Federal Chancellery’s COVID-19 crisis staff under Chancellor Olaf Scholz. An army air defence officer who enlisted in 1984, Breuer is married with three children.
A successor to fill his current post as Inspector General has yet to be named.