New burden sharing
Germany overtakes USA for top positions in NATO
Updated February 10, 2026 – 2:24 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
US President Donald Trump wants Europeans to take on significantly more responsibility for their defense in the future. This will also be reflected in the NATO command structures in the future.
In the future, Germany will occupy more top positions in NATO’s military command structure than the USA. This is the result of a new distribution of responsibilities, as alliance circles confirmed to the German Press Agency.
The defense alliance officially announced that the agreement is part of a change of course towards a fairer distribution of burdens and responsibilities within NATO. European allies would take on more leadership roles in the NATO command structure.
At the same time, NATO made it clear that the USA would continue to assume military leadership responsibility – for example by continuing to occupy the position of Commander-in-Chief of NATO Forces in Europe (Saceur). The USA has reaffirmed its strong commitment to NATO, said Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
Specifically, according to NATO information, the changes to the position will see Great Britain take over command of the Joint Force Command Norfolk in the US state of Virginia from the USA and Italy take over command of the Joint Force Command in Naples from the USA. Germany and Poland will also share command of the Joint Force Command Brunssum on a rotating basis.
This means that in the future all three Joint Force Commands will be headed by Europeans. The so-called four-star commands lead in crises and conflicts under the strategic high command of the Saceur at the operational level.
The United States, on the other hand, will lead all three so-called Component Commands at the strategic operational area level and will also assume responsibility for the NATO Allied Maritime Command in Northwood in Great Britain. They already lead the Allied Land Command in Turkey and the Allied Air Command at the Ramstein base in Rhineland-Palatinate.
