Supreme Allied Commander Europe | |
---|---|
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Allied Command Operations (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) | |
Abbreviation | SACEUR |
Reports to | North Atlantic Council, through NATO Military Committee |
Residence | Chateau Gendebien |
Seat | Casteau, Mons, Belgium |
Nominator | President of the United States, with Senate advice and consent |
Appointer | North Atlantic Council |
Formation | 2 April 1951 |
First holder | General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower |
Website | shape.nato.int |
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is based at SHAPE in Casteau, Belgium. Effectively SACEUR is the second-highest military position within NATO, below only the Chair of the NATO Military Committee in terms of precedence. [2] There is another Supreme Allied Commander in NATO, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), titularly equal, but their duties are less important. SACT, in Norfolk, Virginia, has responsibility for capability development, rather than operations.
SACEUR has always been held by a U.S. military officer, and the position is dual-hatted with that of Commander of United States European Command.
The current SACEUR is General Christopher G. Cavoli of the United States Army.
Since 2003 the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) has also served as the head of Allied Command Europe and the head of Allied Command Operations. The officeholders have been: [3]
No. | Portrait | Supreme Allied Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) | 2 April 1951 | 30 May 1952 | 1 year, 58 days | United States Army | |
2 | General Matthew Ridgway (1895–1993) | 30 May 1952 | 11 July 1953 | 1 year, 42 days | United States Army | |
3 | Alfred Gruenther (1899–1983) | General11 July 1953 | 20 November 1956 | 3 years, 132 days | United States Army | |
4 | Lauris Norstad (1907–1988) | General20 November 1956 | 1 January 1963 | 6 years, 42 days | United States Air Force | |
5 | Lyman Lemnitzer (1899–1988) | General1 January 1963 | 1 July 1969 | 6 years, 181 days | United States Army | |
6 | Andrew Goodpaster (1915–2005) | General1 July 1969 | 15 December 1974 | 5 years, 167 days | United States Army | |
7 | Alexander M. Haig Jr. (1924–2010) | General15 December 1974 | 1 July 1979 | 4 years, 198 days | United States Army | |
8 | Bernard W. Rogers (1921–2008) | General1 July 1979 | 26 June 1987 | 7 years, 360 days | United States Army | |
9 | John Galvin (1929–2015) | General26 June 1987 | 23 June 1992 | 4 years, 363 days | United States Army | |
10 | John Shalikashvili (1936–2011) | General23 June 1992 | 22 October 1993 | 1 year, 121 days | United States Army | |
11 | George Joulwan (born 1939) | General22 October 1993 | 11 July 1997 | 3 years, 262 days | United States Army | |
12 | Wesley Clark (born 1944) | General11 July 1997 | 3 May 2000 | 2 years, 297 days | United States Army | |
13 | Joseph Ralston (born 1943) | General3 May 2000 | 17 January 2003 | 2 years, 259 days | United States Air Force | |
14 | James L. Jones (born 1943) | General17 January 2003 | 7 December 2006 | 3 years, 324 days | United States Marine Corps | |
15 | Bantz J. Craddock (born 1949) | General7 December 2006 | 2 July 2009 | 2 years, 207 days | United States Army | |
16 | Admiral James G. Stavridis (born 1955) | 2 July 2009 | 13 May 2013 | 3 years, 315 days | United States Navy | |
17 | Philip M. Breedlove (born 1955) | General13 May 2013 | 4 May 2016 | 2 years, 357 days | United States Air Force | |
18 | Curtis Scaparrotti (born 1956) | General4 May 2016 | 3 May 2019 | 2 years, 364 days | United States Army | |
19 | Tod D. Wolters (born 1960) | General3 May 2019 | 4 July 2022 | 3 years, 62 days | United States Air Force | |
20 | Christopher G. Cavoli (born c. 1965) | General4 July 2022 | Incumbent | 1 year, 297 days | United States Army |
The position of Deputy Supreme Allied Command Europe (DSACEUR) has been known as Deputy Head of Allied Command Operations since 2003. From January 1978 until June 1993 there were two DSACEURs, one British and one German. From July 1993 this reverted to a single DSACEUR. With a small number of exceptions who were German military officers, DSACEUR is normally a British military officer. The officeholders have been as follows:
No. | Portrait | Deputy Supreme Allied Commander | Start of term | End of term | Branch | Unit of Commission |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Field Marshal | 2 April 1951 | 23 September 1958 | British Army | Royal Warwickshire Regiment | |
2. | General | 23 September 1958 | 22 September 1960 | British Army | Worcestershire Regiment | |
3. | General | 22 September 1960 | 1 January 1964 | British Army | Royal Welch Fusiliers | |
4. | Marshal of the Royal Air Force | 1 January 1964 | 1 March 1967 | Royal Air Force | N/A | |
5. | General | 1 March 1967 | 1 December 1970 | British Army | Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment | |
6. | General | 1 December 1970 | 12 November 1973 | British Army | 1st The Royal Dragoons | |
7. | General | 12 November 1973 | 12 March 1976 | British Army | Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry | |
8. | General | 12 March 1976 | 2 November 1978 | British Army | Royal Artillery | |
9. | General | 3 January 1978 | 1 April 1980 | German Army | - | |
10. | General | 2 November 1978 | 9 April 1981 | British Army | 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) | |
11. | Admiral | 1 April 1980 | 1 April 1982 | German Navy | Naval aviation | |
12. | Air Chief Marshal | 9 April 1981 | 16 July 1984 | Royal Air Force | Royal Air Force Regiment (anti-aircraft artillery) | |
13. | General | 1 April 1982 | 2 April 1984 | German Army | - | |
14. | General | 2 April 1984 | 1 October 1987 | German Army | Bundesgrenzschutz | |
15. | General | 16 July 1984 | 26 June 1987 | British Army | Royal Artillery | |
16. | General | 26 June 1987 | 17 January 1990 | British Army | Northamptonshire Regiment | |
17. | General | 1 October 1987 | 2 October 1990 | German Air Force | N/A | |
18. | General | 17 January 1990 | 5 April 1993 | British Army | 4th Queen's Own Hussars | |
19. | General Dieter Clauss | 2 October 1990 | 1 July 1993 | German Army | - | |
20. | General | 5 April 1993 | 12 December 1994 | British Army | Gloucestershire Regiment | |
21. | General | 12 December 1994 | 30 November 1998 | British Army | Queen's Own Highlanders | |
22. | General | 30 November 1998 | 17 September 2001 | British Army | Parachute Regiment | |
23. | General | 17 September 2001 | 18 September 2002 | German Army | Panzergrenadier | |
24. | Admiral | 18 September 2002 | 1 October 2004 | German Navy | N/A | |
25. | General | 1 October 2004 | 22 October 2007 | British Army | Parachute Regiment | |
26. | General | 22 October 2007 | March 2011 | British Army | Royal Anglian Regiment | |
27. | General | March 2011 | March 2014 | British Army | 14th/20th King's Hussars | |
28. | General | March 2014 | March 2017 | British Army | 14th/20th King's Hussars | |
29. | General | March 2017 | April 2020 | British Army | 17th/21st Lancers | |
30. | General | April 2020 | July 2023 | British Army | The Light Infantry | |
31. | Admiral | July 2023 | Incumbent | Royal Navy | Fleet Air Arm |
Under the 2002 Berlin Plus agreement, SHAPE may take part in the European Union's (EU) command and control structure as an operational headquarters (OHQ) for EU missions. In such an instance, the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR), who is always a European, would serve as Operation Commander (OpCdr). This use of SHAPE by the EU is subject to a "right of first refusal", i.e. NATO must first decline to intervene in a given crisis, [4] [5] and is contingent upon unanimous approval among NATO states, including those outside of the EU. [6]
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