A sweeping overhaul hands General Carsten Breuer operational control to speed decisions and bolster readiness.

Germany has handed sweeping operational authority to General Carsten Breuer as part of a reorganisation of the Federal Ministry of Defence, effective 1 October. A new organisational chart consolidates military planning, troop readiness and operations under his command, making the Bundeswehr’s inspector general the operational head within the ministry. The overhaul is being driven by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

The reform is designed to overcome chronic bottlenecks in procurement and streamline command chains that have slowed modernisation. A newly created Innovation and Cyber Department will supervise flagship programmes, including a joint Franco-German-Spanish fighter jet, as well as space defence, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity projects. Germany has invested billions of euros in defence and aims to set the pace in Europe.

The changes come amid heightened security pressures. Russia has been probing NATO airspace in Poland and Romania while continuing military operations in Ukraine, sharpening Berlin’s focus on readiness. With the United States under President Donald Trump signalling that support should not be taken for granted, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made building Europe’s strongest conventional army — described as “kriegstüchtig”, or war-ready — a priority.

To meet those ambitions, a Growth Directorate will tackle persistent personnel shortages, with plans to expand the armed forces by tens of thousands. The ministry will assume responsibility for recruitment and training alongside housing and the construction of new barracks. Berlin is also considering a form of voluntary national service to bolster intake. Together, the structural changes are intended to speed decisions, deliver equipment more quickly and strengthen Germany’s command architecture at a time of rising defence demands.