On January 17, the Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone took over the chairmanship of the NATO-Military Committee, officially succeeding his predecessor, Dutch Admiral Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer. He was presented with the symbolic gavel by Bauer during a special meeting.
In his farewell speech, Admiral Bauer emphasized the importance of trust and cooperation between the allies and between the political and military levels. He emphasized that it was crucial for the Committee to maintain its independent role in order to be able to advise the political level unhindered.
In his inaugural speech to the Military Committee, Admiral Cavo Dragone emphasized his desire to further expand cooperation, cohesion and collaboration between the alliance partners. He added: “Alone we may make faster progress, but together we will go further.”
Admiral Cavo Dragone can look back on a long and successful career in the Italian armed forces. Among other things, he was Commander of the Italian Joint Operations Headquarters, Chief of the Italian Navy and Minister of Defense of Italy. He has also received a number of awards and commendations from across the Alliance, including the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
With his new role, Admiral Cavo Dragone becomes NATO’s most senior military officer – a position that encompasses far more than just chairing the Military Committee. He will now be the Alliance’s principal spokesman on all military matters and the principal military advisor to the NATO Secretary General. Most importantly, he will inform NATO’s political decision-making bodies of consensus-based advice from the defense ministers of all NATO member states.
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