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NATO Military Committee

The body of NATO that is composed of member states' Chiefs of Defence From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s Military Committee (MC) is the body that is composed of member states' Chiefs of Defence (CHOD). These national CHODs are regularly represented in the MC by their permanent Military Representatives (MilRep), who often are officers of the rank of general and admiral. Like the Council, from time to time the Military Committee also meets at a higher level, namely at the level of Chiefs of Defence, the most senior military officer in each nation's armed forces.

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Role

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Chairman in 2014, General Knud Bartels

The MC assists and advises the North Atlantic Council (NAC), Defence Planning Committee (DPC), and Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) on military matters including policy and strategy.[1] Its principal role is to provide direction and advice on military policy and strategy. It provides guidance on military matters to the Supreme Allied Commanders of Allied Command Operations and Allied Command Transformation, whose representatives attend its meetings, and is responsible for the overall conduct of the military affairs of the Alliance under the authority of the Council. The executive body of the MC is the International Military Staff (IMS).[2]

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Current NATO Chiefs of Defence

Member CHOD Member CHOD Member CHOD
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Chief of the General Staff of
Albania

Member since
1 April 2009
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Major General
Arben Kingji [de; nl]
of the
 Albanian Land Force
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Chief of Defence of
Belgium

Member since
24 August 1949
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General
Frederik Vansina
of the
 Belgian Air Component
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Chief of Defence of
Bulgaria

Member since
29 March 2004
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Admiral
Emil Eftimov [bg; de; he]
of the
 Bulgarian Navy
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Chief of the Defence Staff of
Canada

Member since
24 August 1949
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General
Jennie Carignan
of the
 Canadian Army
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Chief of the General Staff of
Croatia

Member since
1 April 2009
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Colonel general
Tihomir Kundid
of the
 Croatian Army
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Chief of the General Staff of the
Czech Republic

Member since
12 March 1999
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Lieutenant General
Karel Řehka
of the
Czech Special Forces
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Chief of Defence of
Denmark

Member since
24 August 1949
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General
Michael Hyldgaard [da]
of the
 Royal Danish Army
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Commander of the Defence Forces of
Estonia

Member since
29 March 2004
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Major General
Andrus Merilo
of the
 Estonian Land Forces
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Chief of Defence of
Finland

Member since
4 April 2023
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General
Janne Jaakkola
of the
Finnish Army
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Chief of the Defence Staff of
France

Member since
24 August 1949
[a]
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General
Thierry Burkhard
of the
French Army
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Inspector General of the Bundeswehr of
Germany

Member since
6 May 1955
[b]
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General
Carsten Breuer
of the
 German Army
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Chief of the General Staff of
Greece

Member since
18 February 1952
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General
Dimitrios Choupis [el]
of the
 Hellenic Army
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Chief of the General Staff of
Hungary

Member since
12 March 1999
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Colonel General
Gábor Böröndi
of the
 Hungarian Ground Forces
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Director of the Security and Defence Department of
Iceland

Member since
24 August 1949
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Jónas G. Allansson
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Chief of the Defence Staff of
Italy

Member since
24 August 1949
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General
Luciano Portolano
of the
 Italian Army
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Commander of the Armed Forces of
Latvia

Member since
29 March 2004
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Major General
Kaspars Pudāns
of the
Latvian National Guard
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Chief of Defence of
Lithuania

Member since
29 March 2004
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General
Raimundas Vaikšnoras
of the
 Lithuanian Land Force
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Chief of Defence of
Luxembourg

Member since
24 August 1949
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General
Steve Thull
of the
 Luxembourg Army
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Chief of the General Staff of
Montenegro

Member since
5 June 2017
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Brigadier General
Zoran Lazarević [de]
of the
Montenegrin Ground Army
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Chief of Defence of the
Netherlands

Member since
24 August 1949
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General
Onno Eichelsheim
of the
 Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force
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Chief of the General Staff of
North Macedonia

Member since
27 March 2020
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Major General
Saško Lafčiski
of the
North Macedonian Special Forces
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Chief of Defence of
Norway

Member since
24 August 1949
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General
Eirik Kristoffersen
of the
 Norwegian Army
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Chief of the General Staff of
Poland

Member since
12 March 1999
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General
Wiesław Kukuła
of the
Polish Territorial Defence Forces
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Chief of the General Staff of
Portugal

Member since
24 August 1949
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General
José Nunes da Fonseca [he; pt]
of the
 Portuguese Army
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Chief of the General Staff of
Romania

Member since
29 March 2004
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General
Gheorghiță Vlad [he]
of the
 Romanian Land Forces
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Chief of the General Staff of
Slovakia

Member since
29 March 2004
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Lieutenant General
Daniel Zmeko
of the
Slovak Ground Forces
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Chief of the General Staff of
Slovenia

Member since
29 March 2004
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Brigadier
Dean Groff [sl]
of the
Slovenian Ground Force
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Chief of the Defence Staff of
Spain

Member since
30 May 1982
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Admiral General
Teodoro Esteban López Calderón
of the
Spanish Navy
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Chief of Defence of
Sweden

Member since
7 March 2024
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General
Michael Claesson
of the
 Swedish Army
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Chief of the General Staff of
Turkey

Member since
18 February 1952
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General
Metin Gürak
of the
Turkish Land Forces
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Chief of the Defence Staff of the
United Kingdom

Member since
24 August 1949
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Admiral
Tony Radakin
of the
 Royal Navy
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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the
United States

Member since
24 August 1949
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General
Dan Caine
of the
 United States Air Force
  1. Excluded from the Committee in 1966–2008.
  2. As West Germany. East Germany became part of NATO after German reunification on 3 October 1990
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    History

    Until 2008 the Military Committee excluded France, due to that country's 1966 decision to remove itself from NATO's integrated military structure, which it rejoined in 1995. Until France rejoined NATO, it was not represented on the Defence Planning Committee, and this led to conflicts between it and NATO members. Such was the case in the lead up to Operation Iraqi Freedom.[3]

    Established in 1949 during the first Council session in Washington, the Military Committee is NATO's highest military authority and advises the NAC and NATO's strategic commanders, the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.[4]

    See also

    References

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