Italy’s Admiral Cavo Dragone takes over as chair of NATO Military Committee

Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone assumed the role of chair of the NATO Military Committee on 17 January 2025, officially receiving the gavel from his predecessor, Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, during a special session of the Military Committee in Brussels.

Prior to the session, Adm Bauer laid a wreath at the Danish Memorial Stone, which honours those who have ben killed in NATO operations.

In his farewell address Adm Bauer, who became chair of the NATO Military Committee on 25 June 2021, talked of the importance of trust and co-operation between allies at both the political and military level, stressing that it is crucial that the committee maintains its independent role in providing unfettered advice to the political leaders of NATO countries.

In his inaugural address to the Military Committee Adm Cavo Dragone highlighted his ambition to further build co-operation, cohesion and collaboration between the NATO allies and partners, addding that, “Alone, we may go faster, but together, we can go further.”

Adm Cavo Dragone’s ability to foster co-operation is underscored by his years of dedicated service to the alliance through his military service in the Italian armed forces. He has previously served as commander of the Italian Joint Operations Headquarters, chief of the Italian Navy and as the Italian chief of defence. Adm Cavo Dragone has also earned a number of awards and recognitions from across the alliance, including the Knight Grand Cross and Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

With his new role, Adm Cavo Dragone will become NATO’s senior military officer: a role that covers 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 countries is communicated to NATO’s political decision-making bodies.

Following the session, during a special ceremony, the NATO headquarters said goodbye to Adm Bauer, who expressed why the alliance is so vital in today’s global environment by stating, “We are the shield for the innocent. We are what stands between freedom and oppression.”

During the ceremony NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte thanked Adm 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 said.