Post: | Supreme Allied Commander Europe |
Flag: | Flag of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.svg |
Flagsize: | 200px |
Flagcaption: | Standard |
Insignia: | Coat of arms of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.svg |
Insigniasize: | 90px |
Insigniacaption: | SHAPE coat of arms |
Incumbent: | General Christopher G. Cavoli |
Incumbentsince: | 4 July 2022[1] |
Department: | 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: | 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. In effect, 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 whose duties are less operational. 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]
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 MarshalThe Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, | 2 April 1951 | 23 September 1958 | Royal Warwickshire Regiment | |||
2. | GeneralSir Richard Gale, | 23 September 1958 | 22 September 1960 | Worcestershire Regiment | |||
3. | GeneralSir Hugh Stockwell, | 22 September 1960 | 1 January 1964 | Royal Welch Fusiliers | |||
4. | Marshal of the Royal Air ForceSir Thomas Pike, | 1 January 1964 | 1 March 1967 | Royal Air Force | N/A | ||
5. | GeneralSir Robert Bray, | 1 March 1967 | 1 December 1970 | Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment | |||
6. | GeneralSir Desmond Fitzpatrick, | 1 December 1970 | 12 November 1973 | ||||
7. | GeneralSir John Mogg, | 12 November 1973 | 12 March 1976 | Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry | |||
8. | GeneralSir Harry Tuzo, | 12 March 1976 | 2 November 1978 | Royal Artillery | |||
9. | GeneralGerd Schmückle | 3 January 1978 | 1 April 1980 | German Army | - | ||
10. | GeneralSir Jack Harman, | 2 November 1978 | 9 April 1981 | ||||
11. | AdmiralGünter Luther | 1 April 1980 | 1 April 1982 | German Navy | Naval aviation | ||
12. | Air Chief MarshalSir Peter Terry, | 9 April 1981 | 16 July 1984 | Royal Air Force | Royal Air Force Regiment (anti-aircraft artillery) | ||
13. | GeneralGünter Kießling | 1 April 1982 | 2 April 1984 | German Army | - | ||
14. | GeneralHans-Joachim Mack | 2 April 1984 | 1 October 1987 | German Army | |||
15. | GeneralSir Edward Burgess, | 16 July 1984 | 26 June 1987 | Royal Artillery | |||
16. | GeneralSir John Akehurst, | 26 June 1987 | 17 January 1990 | Northamptonshire Regiment | |||
17. | GeneralEberhard Eimler | 1 October 1987 | 2 October 1990 | German Air Force | N/A | ||
18. | GeneralSir Brian Kenny, | 17 January 1990 | 5 April 1993 | 4th Queen's Own Hussars | |||
19. | GeneralDieter Clauss | 2 October 1990 | 1 July 1993 | German Army | - | ||
20. | GeneralSir John Waters, | 5 April 1993 | 12 December 1994 | Gloucestershire Regiment | |||
21. | GeneralSir Jeremy Mackenzie, | 12 December 1994 | 30 November 1998 | Queen's Own Highlanders | |||
22. | GeneralSir Rupert Smith, | 30 November 1998 | 17 September 2001 | ||||
23. | GeneralDieter Stöckmann | 17 September 2001 | 18 September 2002 | German Army | |||
24. | AdmiralRainer Feist | 18 September 2002 | 1 October 2004 | German Navy | N/A | ||
25. | GeneralSir John Reith, | 1 October 2004 | 22 October 2007 | ||||
26. | GeneralSir John McColl, | 22 October 2007 | March 2011 | ||||
27. | GeneralSir Richard Shirreff, | March 2011 | March 2014 | ||||
28. | GeneralSir Adrian Bradshaw, | March 2014 | March 2017 | ||||
29. | GeneralSir James Everard, | March 2017 | April 2020 | 17th/21st Lancers | |||
30. | GeneralSir Tim Radford, | April 2020 | July 2023 | The Light Infantry | |||
31. | AdmiralSir Keith Blount, | July 2023 | Incumbent | Fleet Air Arm |
See also: European Defence Community, European Union–NATO relations and Common Security and Defence Policy.
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]