The Military Committee of the European Union (EUMC) is the body of the European Union's (EU) Common Security and Defence Policy that is composed of member states' Chiefs of Defence (CHOD). These national CHODs are regularly represented in the EUMC in Brussels by their permanent Military Representatives (MilRep), who often are two- or three-star flag officers.
The EUMC is under the authority of the EU's High Representative (HR) and the Political and Security Committee (PSC).
History The EUMC was established in December 2000 by the European Council of Nice. It is one of several defence and security-related bodies established as a result of the Helsinki Headline Goal, which was decided in December 1999.
Function The EUMC gives military advice to the EU's High Representative (HR) and Political and Security Committee (PSC). The EUMC also oversees the European Union Military Staff (EUMS).
Role in command and control of missions
Current EU Chiefs of Defence
CountryCHODMilitary BranchTook OfficeAustriaMajor General Rudolf Striedinger
Chief of the General StaffLand ForcesBelgiumGeneral Frederik Vansina
Chief of DefenceAir ForceBulgariaAdmiral Emil Eftimov
Chief of DefenceNavyCroatiaColonel General Tihomir Kundid
Chief of the General StaffArmyCyprusLieutenant General Emmanouel Theodorou
Chief of the National Guard General StaffGround ForcesCzech RepublicLieutenant General Miroslav Hlavac
Chief of the General StaffLand ForcesDenmarkGeneral Michael Hyldgaard
Chief of DefenceRoyal ArmyEstoniaLieutenant General Andrus Merilo
Commander of the Defence ForcesLand ForcesFinlandGeneral Janne Jaakkola
Chief of DefenceArmyFranceGeneral Fabien Mandon
Chief of the Defence StaffAir and Space ForceGermanyGeneral Carsten Breuer
Inspector General of the BundeswehrArmyGreeceGeneral Dimitrios Choupis
Chief of the National Defence General StaffArmyHungaryColonel General Sándor Zsolt
Chief of the General StaffGround Forces1 June 2026IrelandLieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy
Chief of Staff of the Defence ForcesArmyItalyGeneral Luciano Portolano
Chief of the Defence StaffArmyLatviaMajor General Kaspars Pudāns
Commander of the Joint HeadquartersNational GuardLithuaniaGeneral Raimundas Vaikšnoras
Chief of DefenceLand ForcesLuxembourgGeneral Steve Thull
Chief of DefenceArmyMaltaBrigadier Clinton J. O'Neill
Commander of the Armed ForcesAir WingNetherlandsGeneral Onno Eichelsheim
Chief of DefenceRoyal Air and Space ForcePolandGeneral Wiesław Kukuła
Chief of the General StaffTerritorial Defence ForcePortugalGeneral João Cartaxo Alves
Chief of the General StaffArmyRomaniaGeneral Gheorghiță Vlad
Chief of the General StaffLand ForcesSlovakiaGeneral Miroslav Lorinc
Chief of the General StaffAir ForceSloveniaMajor General Boštjan Močnik
Chief of the General StaffGround Force15 December 2025SpainAdmiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón
Chief of the Defence StaffNavySwedenGeneral Michael Claesson
Chief of DefenceArmy
Chairman
The EUMC is chaired by a General Officer, Admiral, or Air Officer of four-star level (i.e. NATO OF-9 equivalent), who is selected by the Chiefs of Defence and appointed by the Council of the European Union. For a term of three years the chairman is the spokesperson for the EUMC. He participates in PSC meetings as appropriate, he is the military adviser to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR) who heads the EEAS European External Action Service, he represents the primary point of contact with the Operation Commanders of the EU's military operations, and he attends Council meetings with defence and security implications.
See also
Common Security and Defence Policy European External Action Service Military of the European Union Political and Security Committee European Union Military Staff NATO Military Committee
A similar committee also exists within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Those countries which are members of both EU and NATO have in most cases chosen to use the same MilRep in both organisations.
References
External links
CSDP structure, instruments, and agencies, EEAS website Mai'a K. Davis Cross: "The Military Dimension of European Security: An Epistemic Community Approach." (2013) Millennium Journal of International Studies, 42(1): 45–64 https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eumc_en#15997.