German media: Germany may take on more command responsibilities in NATO

Reference News Network, February 13 According to a report from the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on February 10, a decisive statement for NATO appeared on page 19 of the new U.S. defense strategy released at the end of January. The document states that the Pentagon "will create incentives for NATO allies to take on the primary responsibility for conventional defense in Europe, while the United States will continue to play an important but more limited role." A commonly accepted brief saying at NATO headquarters is that NATO must become more "European." This involves force planning, military capabilities, and command structures.

NATO confirmed that on February 6, the 32 member countries made a far-reaching decision regarding this matter. A statement on the 10th said: "Alliance partners have reached a new arrangement regarding the distribution of responsibilities among senior military officers within NATO's command structure, in which European allies, including NATO's new member states, will play a more significant role in the alliance's military leadership." This is particularly applicable to Germany.

All positions in NATO's command and staff agencies are allocated according to national quotas. The highest position—the Supreme Allied Commander Europe—has always been held by an American general, who is also the commander of U.S. European Command. This will remain unchanged, as U.S. forces should always be under American command.

Changes will occur at lower levels. First are the three regional commands of the alliance, each responsible for organizing the defense of their respective regions. In the future, the highest commanders of these commands will be entirely European, as the U.S. relinquishes two positions. The Joint Forces Command located in Norfolk, Virginia, and the one in Naples, Italy, will be led by a British and an Italian officer, respectively. The Joint Forces Command responsible for NATO's eastern flank defense will be rotated between German and Polish generals in the future.

The next command level involves the three branches of the military: land, sea, and air. Currently, the U.S. leads the Army Command in Izmir and the Air Force Command in Ramstein. In the future, it will also take over the Navy Command located in Northwood, UK—thus maintaining control over operational actions.

In fact, these changes will also reach deeper into the internal command structure. According to NATO sources, this will result in Germany replacing the U.S. as the country bearing the highest command responsibility. This is calculated based on the number of stars on the epaulettes. It is said that with the new position allocations implemented in future rotations, Germany's star count will reach approximately 30.

This not only means an increase in Germany's influence over leadership positions but also an enhancement of its influence within the entire military staff. This is because there is a rule within NATO that for each star a country has, it corresponds to 40 military positions, ranging from senior non-commissioned officers to general staff officers. At that time, Germany will hold about 1,200 of the approximately 7,000 total positions. In contrast, as reported in January, the U.S. will relinquish about 200 positions—implying that the U.S. will give up 5 stars.

NATO sources also confirmed a report from the German newspaper Welt over the weekend. It is said that a preliminary agreement has been reached among Germany, the U.S., and other key NATO member states—Germany's Chief of Defense Inspector General Carsten Breuer is expected to assume the role of Chairman of NATO's Military Committee (NATO's highest military body) in mid-2027, to match Germany's growing military significance. However, the relevant decision will be made in the elections in September. It is currently unclear whether there will be competing candidates at that time. (Translation/ Jiao Yu)