Carsten Breuer is currently the Bundeswehr soldier of the highest rank as Inspector General. From next year he will be the new chairman of the NATO Military Committee. For the German state, this is a military-political success that underlines its own claim to leadership.

From July 2027, Germany is expected to provide the new chairman of the NATO Military Committee. Specifically, this is about the current Inspector General of the BundeswehrCarsten Breuer. Last Saturday, Breuer received the approval of the majority of NATO defense chiefs in a confidential election. Until he takes up his new position next year, the post will be taken over by the Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone. He has held this position since 2025.

Breuer's role in the militarization of Germany

Breuer has a long career behind her, which, after starting in 1984 as an officer candidate in the Army Air Defense Force, included a wide range of leadership roles, both within the force and in the Ministry of Defense. Before he was appointed first commander of the Bundeswehr's Territorial Command in 2022, he took over the management of the federal government's Corona crisis team in 2021.

Since March 17, 2023, he has been the successor to General Eberhard Zorn in the role of Inspector General of the Bundeswehr and is therefore also its highest-ranking soldier. In his role as Inspector General, he is responsible for shaping the turning point militarily, which was announced by Olaf Scholz in 2022. In April of this year he set the first in this contextMilitary strategyin force in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Bundeswehr's new strategy paper prepares Germany for a major war in Eastern Europe

Right from the start of his time as Inspector General, he made it clear where he wanted to develop the Bundeswehr. In onespeech, which he held at the Munich Security Conference 2023, he explained that the “turning point” must also be accompanied by a certain “change of thought”. He made it clear that he was no longer just concerned with being able to defend himself, but also with winning wars: "Being able to fight in order not to have to fight is no longer enough. If we want to credibly deter in the new era and thus ultimately prevent war, we must do one thing above all: want to win because we have to win."

In order to be able to accomplish all of this, he was already calling for the Bundeswehr to be restructured. In addition to a fusion of politics, society and the military, the leadership of the Bundeswehr also needs a rethinking of “agility, willingness to take risks and the assumption of responsibility”. He also attaches great importance to the involvement of large parts of the population: "Everyone has to come to the arena. There is no space for spectators and there is no popcorn."

In the future, he will continue this course as chairman of the NATO Military Committee. As part of his election to this posthe explainedto what extent he wants to adapt NATO to the upheaval in warfare: “If the general conditions change, we can no longer rely on yesterday's strategies,” Breuer announced last Wednesday at an event organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Prague.

What role does the NATO Military Committee play?

The NATO Military Committee is NATO's highest military authority. The chairman of this committee is next to the military commander in chief in Europeone of NATO's most important militariesand the principal advisor to the Secretary-General.

The Chairman of the NATO Military Committee represents the link between the Chiefs of General Staff of the NATO member states and the various political decision-making bodies. In addition, instructions and guidelines from the Military Committee are passed on through him to the NATO strategic commanders and the Director General of the International Military Staff.

As chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Breuer will also review the feasibility and financing of various operations. Mediating and creating consensus between the various NATO states also falls within his area of ​​responsibility.

The Military Committee itself also advises the North Atlantic Council and the Nuclear Planning Group on military matters.

Germany takes command of a “European NATO”

Germany's leadership role in Europe

With increasing arms spending, Germany is increasingly preparing for war. With its 125 billion euros, Germany is currently in first place among the European NATO states.

Since this year, Germany has also occupied more top positions in NATO's military command structure than the USA. Both this number of personnel and the election of Breuer as chairman of the NATO Military Committee are an expression of the fact that Germany is playing an increasingly larger military role within Europe.

In May 2025, the current Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) declared that the Bundeswehr should be transformed into “conventionally the strongest army in Europe”. A goal like this is followed by a certain claim to leadership within NATO, which Germany is increasingly living up to. The Bundeswehr's own regional army command with a focus on Estonia and Latvia, as well as the permanent stationing of Bundeswehr troops in Lithuania, are also an expression of this claim.

The German brigade in Lithuania and its role in the militarization of the Baltics

The fact that Germany is playing an increasingly larger role within NATO does not mean that the USA is being pushed back. Instead, this development reflects increasing differentiation within the alliance. In the future, Germany should increasingly concern itself with its opponent Russia, which is repeatedly emphasized as the top enemy by both Merz and War Minister Boris Pistorius (CDU).

The USA, on the other hand, is moving away from Europe and is also withdrawing troops. However, this only serves to shift its own focus to the Indo-Pacific. From the USA's perspective, it is not Russia but China that represents the main challenge to its own power interests.

Canadians strive for self-reliance

In addition to Breuer, the Chief of Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces, Jennie Carignan, was also nominated, but she was unable to prevail. If she had won the election, she would have been the first woman to ever hold the position. However, a double nomination is rather unusual for positions of this size, as the distribution of the positions is usually agreed upon in advance.

Carignan's nomination can be seen as part of Canada's current military developments. Canada has recently been acting much more confidently when it comes to security and defense policy issues. For example, the state's defense spending is to be doubled by 2030. Just in July, Canada commissioned the German defense company TKMS AG & Co. KGaA to build up to twelve Type 212CD submarines.

New arms deliveries: Canada orders German submarines worth billions

Carignan was committed to the goal of permanently strengthening the transatlantic alliance. The tense situation between Canada and the USA also appears to have been a motivator for Carignan's nomination. In January, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said there was an erosion of the rules-based world order in which major powers did not have to play by the rules. “Middle powers” ​​like Canada only have a chance of surviving if they join forces with others.

However, the conflict with the USA will also have contributed significantly to the Canadian not winning this election. In contrast to Carignan, Breuer received support from Washington.

The postCarsten Breuer: Inspector General of the Bundeswehr becomes NATO military chiefappeared firstperspective.