On 20-21 November 2023, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer visited Germany upon invitation of its Chief of Defence, General Carsten Breuer. While in Germany, the Chair met with senior political and military authorities and delivered key remarks at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College. The visit provided an opportunity to reiterate NATO's appreciation for Germany's longstanding contributions to the Alliance and the importance of its role for peace in the Euro-Atlantic area.
On the first day, in Berlin, Admiral Bauer met with Minister Wolfgang Schmidt, Head of the Federal Chancelery and with State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Defence, Benedikt Zimmer. During their exchange, the Chair commended Germany's unquestionable commitment to the Alliance since 1955 and praised the German leadership for their current effort to transform the Bundeswehr. Germany's new Defence Policy Guidelines, presented only a few weeks ago, demonstrate that the country is delivering on the Zeitenwende announced by Chancellor Scholz earlier this year - including through increased defence spending - noted the Admiral.
Admiral Bauer was subsequently received by General Carsten for a military honours welcome ceremony at the parade ground, after which he laid a wreath at the Bundeswehr Memorial. The Chair thanked General Breuer for Germany's role in strengthening NATO's defences and stressed its importance for the Alliance at this critical moment for security in Europe and beyond. "NATO is grateful for the fact that Germany is allocating more troops to NATO for the defence of Europe. This helps ensure the executability of our new geographically specific defence plans. Germany's continued commitment to NATO ensures the protection and defence of the Euro-Atlantic area", he stated. Germany's first ever National Security Strategy, adopted in June, is a clear testament of Germany's endeavour to become'a cornerstone of conventional defence in Europe' and to strengthen NATO's European pillar.
Later in the day, Admiral Bauer and his staff, together with the hosting German delegation, departed for Hamburg. Upon arrival, the Admiral was welcomed at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College - the highest level military training institution of the German Federal Armed Forces - by its Commandant, Rear Admiral Ralf Kuchler. At the Manfred Wörner Centre, the Chair delivered a keynote address to military and civilian students enrolled in the two-year National General/Admiral Staff Officer Course (NGASOC). Here he stressed the importance of a shift in mind-set, to make sure both the German military and the German society becomes 'Kriegstüchtig': "It is time to lift the mental blockade that somehow Germany should not be a leader in deterrence and defence. Preparing for war is not aggressive. It is the only way to maintain peace. For that we need strong deterrence.Deterrence is like oxygen: you don't notice it until it's gone."
The visit concluded in Eckernförde with a visit to Sea Battalion 1, a land formation of the German Navy. Commander Patrick Steinbach received the NATO HQ delegation and his team provided an overview of how the battalion protects the German Navy's vessels, bases and shore-based facilities in Germany and abroad, on the high seas and on the shore. They further illustrated the range of the Command's capabilities - from ship examinations, explosive ordnance disposal, evacuation operations and the protection of merchant ships and ports against terrorist threats to multinational amphibious operations.
