The German Federal Ministry of Defence has announced two changes to high-ranking military personnel: Dr Nicole Schilling, Surgeon General, will become Deputy Inspector General, while Major General Dr. Christian Freuding will become the new Inspector General of the Army. This makes Dr. Schilling the first woman to hold this post and the first female deputy to General Carsten Breuer, the Inspector General of the German Armed Forces.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Schilling led the Operational Readiness and Armed Forces Support Division at the German Federal Ministry of Defence. She succeeds Lieutenant General Andreas Hoppe in her new role.

Dr. Schilling, who is an air force medical officer, has held various positions in the ministry. These included working as a consultant in the office of former State Secretary Stéphane Beemelmans. From 2017 to 2019, she was Head of Division PI4 at the German Federal Ministry of Defence, responsible for personnel recruitment. Before these roles, she served as Chief Physician at the Bundeswehr Hospital in Westerstede.