Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean and Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) Commander-in-Chief, U.S. The respective titles of the service commands were: Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army presence in Europe maintained separate commands that reported directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. European Command (USEUCOM), it was established to provide "unified command and authority" over all U.S. The first unified command in the European area was established by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 1 August 1952. Army administrative command in the European region had previously been designated European Theater of Operations United States Army (ETOUSA) from 8 June 1942 – 1 July 1945 United States Forces European Theater (USFET) from 1 July 1945 – 15 March 1947 and then European Command (EUCOM) 15 March 1947 – 1 August 1952. Prior to 1952, the title "European Command (EUCOM)" referred to a single-service, United States Army command. During the Gulf War and Operation Northern Watch, EUCOM controlled the forces flying from Incirlik Air Base. The Commander of the United States EUCOM simultaneously serves as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) within NATO, a military alliance. Its area of focus covers 21,000,000 square miles (54,000,000 km 2) and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russia, and Greenland. The United States European Command ( EUCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. “But if the other guy shows up with a tank, you better have a tank,” Cavoli said.The EUCOM Area of responsibility is in red. He added that in the military realm, cyber and information operations are also valuable. “The great irreducible feature of warfare is hard power. That mindset held firm for German leaders in spite of the Kremlin’s armed annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the assassination of a Chechen refugee in Berlin by a former colonel in Russia’s security services in 2019.īut soft power isn’t sufficient in deterring adversaries like Russia, Cavoli said. In Berlin’s previous dealings with Moscow, fostering economic ties and downplaying Russia’s military threat was the norm in the years leading up to the 2022 invasion. European Command, said that future means prioritizing hard power, a comment that could go against the grain of the sensibilities of some member states such as Germany. “The NATO you are planning to join is in a new world, one shaped by Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine.”Ĭavoli, an Army officer who also serves as head of the Stuttgart-based U.S. “It’s good if it’s easy, because I think the future looks hard,” Cavoli told his Swedish audience. Regarding Sweden’s accession, delayed because of objections from Turkey, Cavoli said incorporating the Nordic country into allied defense plans would be easy given the quality of the country’s military. The jarring effect of Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine has put in motion changes almost unthinkable a year ago, such as Finland’s and Sweden’s bids to shift from military nonalignment to NATO membership. Army has 31 regular Army brigade combat teams.įor decades, NATO’s focus was on “out of area” operations such as the war in Afghanistan, while territorial defense fell by the wayside during a post-Cold War era that took peace in Europe as a given. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians have fielded 37 front-line brigades plus dozens more territorial brigades. That will involve having troops ready on a standing basis, as opposed to the rotational, schedule-based model allies have had the luxury of using during the past 20 years. “Of course, these plans are going to go ahead and drive a tremendous amount of change in the alliance,” Cavoli said.įor example, command and control structures responsible for putting defense plans into action will have to be altered to “make them fit for a new purpose,” he said.Ī new force model to produce larger and more combat-ready forces also is in the works. ![]() The work revolves around tailoring military plans by region with updated details on how strategic areas will be defended. ![]() The implication is that while “soft power” diplomacy and economic measures favored by some allies in recent years have a role, being skilled with tanks, artillery and all manner of firepower must take precedence to defend against Russia.įor NATO, implementing its overarching strategy, known as Defense and Deterrence of the Euro-Atlantic Area, is central to its efforts as allies prioritize collective territorial defense, Cavoli said.
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