NATO elects German defence chief Carsten Breuer as Military Committee chair

Copenhagen vote and military transition

The 32 allied chiefs of defence elected German Chief of Defence General Carsten Breuer as the next Chair of the NATO Military Committee during their annual conference in Copenhagen on 19 September 2026. Breuer defeated Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff Jennie Carignan in a secret ballot, preventing her from becoming the first woman to lead the military committee. The 61-year-old German general will take office in July 2027 for a three-year term, succeeding Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, who assumed the position in early 2025. As chair, Breuer will serve as the principal military adviser to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and coordinate recommendations between national chiefs of defence and political decision-makers. Cavo Dragone congratulated his successor on social media, praising his operational judgement and command of the German armed forces. Breuer thanked allied military leaders for their endorsement.

“The support of the chiefs of defence of our NATO allies means a lot to me. In the Alliance, large tasks lie ahead of us, for our security and peace in Europe and beyond.”

Alliance deterrence and defense production

The conference agenda addressed the implementation of decisions from the Ankara summit, focusing on collective deterrence, rapid technology adoption, and continued support for Ukraine. Admiral Cavo Dragone opened the proceedings alongside Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Alexus G. Grynkewich and Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Admiral Pierre Vandier. Cavo Dragone stated that NATO military leadership is shifting attention from budget commitments to the realization of operational capabilities across the Euro-Atlantic area. Discussions also reviewed Russian airspace violations, drone incidents, and hybrid activities reported across allied borders. In his address to the assembled chiefs of defence, Cavo Dragone outlined the alliance's operational stance.

“NATO remains vigilant. NATO remains ready. And NATO will do what is necessary to defend every inch of allied territory.”

The military committee also sent a direct message to defense contractors, declaring that member nations are prepared to buy at scale provided manufacturers deliver on time and with predictable volume.

Domestic implications and command timeline

In Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius welcomed the election, stating that Germany is accepting expanded responsibility in European security. Pistorius praised Breuer's strategic foresight and his oversight of the Bundeswehr restructuring, noting that European allies must reinforce conventional deterrence as the United States directs attention toward other regions. Breuer, who has assessed that Russia could have the military capability to test NATO defenses by 2029, joined the Bundeswehr in 1984 in an air defence unit. He completed training at the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth and the military academy in Hamburg, later deploying to Kabul with the NATO ISAF mission in 2014.

Before his appointment as Chief of Defence in March 2023, Breuer built the Territorial Homeland Defence Command and led the federal COVID-19 crisis staff between 2021 and 2022. Following the Copenhagen vote, German lawmakers including Thomas Röwekamp of the CDU, Agnieszka Brugger of the Greens, and Bundeswehr Association chairman André Wüstner called on Pistorius to expedite the appointment of a successor to prevent a leadership vacancy. Lieutenant General Christian Freuding is expected to succeed Breuer as Chief of Defence before the end of the year.