Gen. Jennie Carignan not chosen for senior NATO post

NATO chiefs of defence meeting Saturday in Copenhagen, Denmark, elected German Gen. Carsten Breuer as the next chair of the alliance’s Military Committee. Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Jennie Carignan, was also seeking the position.

The role is a prestigious posting, though it has less influence than NATO’s most senior military role, Supreme Allied Commander, a powerful command position that usually goes to an American. Only three Canadians have served as chair of the Military Committee, most recently during the Afghanistan war in the mid-2000s.

Defence Minister David McGuinty congratulated Breuer in a social media post. He said Canada was proud to nominate Carignan and that her candidacy reflected exceptional leadership, experience and commitment to Allied collaboration. McGuinty said Canada remained firmly committed to NATO and collective defence and looked forward to working with Breuer and its Allies.

Had Carignan won, she would have been the first woman named to the position and would have had to leave her role leading Canada’s military, which she has held since 2024. The current chair, Italy’s Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, will leave the post next year. Dragone said Breuer’s operational judgment, familiarity with the alliance and leadership of the German armed forces would serve NATO well.