Canadian Could Lead Military Operations at NATO

The highest-ranking officer in Canada could soon be headed to Brussels for one of the most important military positions on the planet.

Gen. Walt Natynczyk, the Canadian Forces' Chief of Defence Staff, is allegedly on a short list of top-ranking military officers who could take over NATO's top military position when the job opens up in September. Neither Natynczyk nor the government has confirmed if the country's top general is running for the position of chairman of the military committee, which is the secretary general of NATO's chief military adviser. The only candidate to have confirmed is Denmark's Gen. Knud Bartels, but there has been some reluctance to have him join Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as it would mean two Danes holding the alliance's top jobs. Each of NATO's 28 member states gets to cast a vote to select the next chairman.