Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan is among two candidates NATO defence chiefs will consider in Copenhagen for the next chair of the military committee.
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NATO defence chiefs are meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, to decide who will become the next chair of the alliance’s military committee, and Canada’s top military commander is one of the two contenders.
The report says the role is a prestigious posting within NATO’s military structure, but it is not the alliance’s highest command position, which is typically held by an American as supreme allied commander.
Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan is running for the job against Germany’s Gen. Carsten Breuer, according to the report. The meeting is scheduled for today, with the selection expected from the defence chiefs in attendance.
The current chair, Italy’s Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, is set to leave the post next year, creating the opening NATO is now filling.
The report highlights the historical significance if Carignan is chosen. It says only three Canadians have previously served as chair of the military committee, and the last Canadian to hold the position did so during the Afghanistan war in the mid-2000s.
Carignan’s potential appointment would also carry a first for NATO. The report states that she would become the first woman to be named to the military committee chair position.
If Carignan wins, the report says she would have to step down as head of Canada’s military, a role she has held since 2024.
Defence Minister David McGuinty told reporters on Parliament Hill on Friday evening that Carignan has “enormous credibility,” and the minister characterized her outreach to NATO counterparts across member countries as part of her campaign.
The report also says McGuinty indicated he supported Carignan’s bid, stating he wrote letters to ministers in an effort to encourage support for her candidacy. He described her campaign as “very good,” and said she had been a candidate he backed publicly and in communications with allies.
For Canadian readers, the decision is significant not only for the profile it would give to a senior Canadian military officer, but also because it could trigger a change in leadership of the Canadian Armed Forces if Carignan is selected for the NATO post.
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