Today, 17 January 2025, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone assumed the role of Chair of the NATO Military Committee, officially receiving the gavel from his predecessor, Admiral Rob Bauer, during a special session of the Military Committee. Prior to the session, Admiral Bauer laid a wreath at the Danish Memorial Stone, which honours those who have fallen in the service of the Alliance.
In his farewell address, Admiral Bauer stipulated the importance of trust and cooperation between Allies as well as between the political and the military level. He stressed that it is crucial that the Committee maintains its independent role in providing unfettered advice to the political level.
In his inaugural address to the Military Committee Admiral Cavo Dragone highlighted his ambition to further build cooperation, cohesion, and collaboration between Allies and Partners. Adding that, "Alone, we may go faster, but together, we can go further."
Admiral Cavo Dragone's ability to foster cooperation is underscored by his years of dedicated service to the Alliance through his military service in the Italian Armed Forces. Service that includes positions as Commander of the Italian Joint Operations Headquarters, Chief of the Italian Navy, and Chief of Defence of Italy. Admiral Cavo Dragone has also earned a number of awards and recognitions from across the Alliance, including the Knight Grand Cross, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
With his new role, Admiral Cavo Dragone will become NATO's senior military officer a position that pertains to far more than simply chairing the Military Committee. He will now serve as the Alliance's primary spokesperson on all military matters and act as the principal military adviser to the NATO Secretary General. Most crucially, he will be the conduit through which consensus-based advice from the Chiefs of Defence of all NATO member countries is communicated to NATO's political decision-making bodies.
Following the session, during a special ceremony, the NATO headquarters said goodbye to Admiral Bauer. He expressed why the Alliance is so vital in today's global environment. Stating, "We are the shield for the innocent. We are what stands between freedom and oppression."
During the ceremony Secretary General Mark Rutte thanked Admiral Rob Bauer for his years of dedicated service to the Alliance. "These have been transformational years for NATO. And it is no exaggeration to say that you have played a key role in this transformation. Helping NATO refocus on its core business of collective defence. And preparing our Alliance for this new era of heightened confrontation" he emphasized.
