General Christian Freuding, who coordinated military aid to Ukraine, will head the Bundeswehr

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has decided to appoint Lieutenant General Christian Freuding as the new Inspector General of the Bundeswehr. The current commander of the Army will assume the position in February 2027.
 

 

“The Bundeswehr is growing rapidly. It is firmly anchored in society and is taking on more responsibility within NATO. To do this, it needs a strong, intelligent, and charismatic leader at the helm. Lieutenant General Freuding possesses all the necessary qualities to serve as a role model for our service members and to lead them into a new era in which we must defend ourselves more effectively than in previous decades,” Pistorius stated.

In February 2027, Freuding will succeed General Carsten Broer and become the highest-ranking officer in the Bundeswehr. Broer himself was elected the new chairman of the NATO Military Committee in September.

Pistorius separately highlighted Freuding’s experience gained while coordinating German military aid to Ukraine and studying modern combat operations.

“As head of the special staff for Ukraine, Freuding analyzed the rapid technological developments in Putin’s war against Ukraine and drew conclusions from this for the Bundeswehr’s defense capabilities. As commander of the Army, he identified and implemented the right measures in a very short time. For example, he ensured the creation of the Army’s first drone regiment, which is currently being formed,” the minister noted.

As previously reported, following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Freuding headed a special task force on Ukraine at the German Ministry of Defense, which coordinated German military support for Ukraine.

In October 2025, Pistorius appointed Freuding as commander of the Bundeswehr’s ground forces.

This was reported on the website of the German Ministry of Defense.

Germany is considering purchasing Ukrainian Bars missiles for the Bundeswehr.

Prior to this, Germany announced the transfer of Patriot missiles from the Bundeswehr’s arsenals to Ukraine.

A Bundeswehr general called on Germany to begin training Ukrainians on the Taurus system.