Canada not counting on win at NATO vote to pick alliance’s new military leader

Canada not counting on win at NATO vote to pick alliance’s new military leader MERCEDES STEPHENSON STEVEN CHASE SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO Open this photo in gallery: General Jennie Carignan, shown at her Ottawa office in 2025, is campaigning against her German counterpart to chair the NATO Military Committee, the Western alliance's most senior military role. JUSTIN TANG/THE CANADIAN PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Ottawa is not counting on a win at a key NATO vote Saturday to pick a new leader for the Western alliance’s military committee, three sources say. Canada’s top soldier, General Jennie Carignan, and her German counterpart are campaigning for the job. But an apparent lack of U.S. support is making a victory for the Canadian extremely difficult, according to the sources, who are familiar with the race. Another source, a former senior national-security official who has been speaking with top U.S. military officers, said American support will not be forthcoming for Gen. Carignan. This represents an insurmountable obstacle to her candidacy, the official said. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the sources for this story, who were not authorized to talk publicly about the matter. The chair of the NATO Military Committee is the Western alliance’s most senior military role and serves as the principal defence adviser to the civilian Secretary-General who heads the 32-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO members are voting in Copenhagen by secret ballot Saturday during a conference of the committee. Canada and Britain in talks to merge defence financing initiatives, source says Gen. Carignan has been Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff since 2024 and has held senior leadership appointments across the Canadian Armed Forces during her more than 40 years in uniform. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Defence Minister David McGuinty pressed the case for Gen. Carignan at the July NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, one of the sources said, adding that Mr. Carney raised her candidacy in his meetings there. The United States, the source said, appears to be backing German General Carsten Breuer, current chief of defence of the Bundeswehr – his country’s armed forces. Germany has ramped up defence spending in recent years and is a significant contributor of troops to NATO deployments. Berlin has been in…