Irishman Seán Clancy succeeds General Robert Brieger at EU Military Committee

In a secret ballot on Thursday, the 27 chiefs of defence of the European Union chose the future head of their highest military body, the EU Military Committee: Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, currently Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces. He succeeds General Robert Brieger, so for the next three years a general from a neutral country will again hold the EU's highest military post.

The Slovenian Lieutenant General Robert Glavaš lost only narrowly. General Sławomir Wojciechowski from Poland, the third candidate, was regarded as a “hawk” – he did not receive enough backing, especially in the member states in Western Europe.

In Ireland's small Air Corps, Lieutenant General Clancy flew for 16 years as a search and rescue (SAR) pilot, logging around 5,000 flying hours in aircraft and helicopters. Clancy is qualified as an examiner for type and instrument ratings and trained as a flight simulator instructor. For the Agusta Westland AW139 helicopter, he holds type, instrument flight and night vision goggle (NVG) ratings.

Chief of Air Staff, Director of Strategic Planning, Deputy Chief of Staff: via these posts he rose to head the Irish Defence Forces, whose Chief of Staff he has been since 29 September 2021.

As Chairman of the European Union Military Committee (EUMC), Clancy will focus above all on developing European defence policy, as well as on planning and conducting military missions and operations in the EU's immediate neighbourhood. With Clancy, Ireland will have a four-star general again for the first time in 100 years.

Farewell from the EU Military Committee: Brieger wants a more concrete mutual assistance clause

After the meeting, General Robert Brieger, still chairing the EU Military Committee, spoke. The committee wants a clear, comprehensive approach to security policy, he affirmed. There is agreement among the defence ministers of the 27 member states that the mutual assistance clause in Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty must be made more concrete. The chiefs of defence have submitted recommendations on how this goal can be achieved. The role of the European armed forces in the territorial defence of the European Union must also be clearly defined.

Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty reads: “If an EU country is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other EU countries are obliged to provide it with aid and assistance by all the means in their power.”

Compared with Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, this provision is generally regarded as weaker. Of the 27 EU member states, 23 are also NATO members, for which the Alliance remains the foundation of collective defence.

Brieger emphasised: “The advantage of the institutions of the European Union is undoubtedly that the EU can act in all areas of politics, the economy, security and the military. We therefore have more instruments than NATO and are trying to find the best way to complement each other.”

How the EU and NATO clearly divide their tasks thus remains an open debate. General Brieger leaves office in two weeks.