NATO's 32 Allied Chiefs of Defence elected General Carsten Breuer of Germany to chair the Military Committee. The decision came at their conference in Copenhagen on 18-19 September. Breuer will succeed Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone in mid-2027, for a three-year term.
Breuer has been Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Germany's top military post, since March 2023. As chair, he becomes NATO's senior military official, giving the alliance's political leadership consensus-based advice on military policy and strategy.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius called Breuer "exactly the right person to lead these processes alongside our allies," according to Germany's defence ministry. Pistorius said the choice reflects confidence in Germany's contribution to the alliance.
Breuer will stay focused on his current duties until the handover.
The Copenhagen meeting also took stock of decisions from July's Ankara summit, covering collective deterrence and defence, innovation and technology, and accelerated support for Ukraine, according to NATO.
Cavo Dragone said the alliance had seen "reckless behaviour of Russia, including airspace violations, drone incidents, hybrid activities," and praised Allied forces for their "swift, professional and effective responses."