BERLIN — Germany’s top general just got a major upgrade.
A new defense ministry organizational chart, obtained by POLITICO, concentrates unprecedented authority in the hands of Gen. Carsten Breuer, the inspector general of the Bundeswehr.
For years, military planning, troop readiness and operations were scattered across three competing departments in the labyrinth of Berlin’s defense bureaucracy. As of Oct. 1, they have been folded into a single “armed forces” directorate under Breuer’s command.
The change, engineered by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, makes Breuer the undisputed operational boss inside the ministry. For the Bundeswehr, still infamous for its sluggish procurement cycles and overlapping lines of command, the reform is designed to strip away excuses and force speed.
The timing is deliberate. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has staked his credibility on building Europe’s strongest conventional army — a Bundeswehr that is kriegstüchtig, or war-ready.
Russia’s drones have already probed NATO airspace in Poland and Romania, and Moscow continues to grind down Ukraine. Meanwhile, the U.S. under Donald Trump has made clear its support cannot be taken for granted. Against that backdrop, Breuer’s new powers are meant to ensure Germany can deter — and if necessary fight — with less reliance on Washington.
The Breuer move is only the most visible part of a deeper reorganization.
The ministry has also launched a new Innovation and Cyber Department, bringing under one roof projects such as the next generation Franco-German-Spanish fighter jet, space defense and artificial intelligence, alongside cybersecurity and IT infrastructure.
Another addition is the so-called Growth Directorate, an ungainly name for Berlin’s most pressing problem: people. Germany wants to expand its military by tens of thousands, while betting on voluntary national service to improve lagging troop numbers. Recruitment, training, housing and even the construction of new barracks will now be handled together.
Germany has poured billions of euros into defense and promised allies that it will lead in Europe. But without a ministry able to make decisions quickly, money alone will not deliver tanks, pilots or cyber warriors.
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