NATO welcomes General Christopher Cavoli as new SACEUR Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

General Christopher Cavoli of the US Army assumed command of Allied Command Operations in a ceremony at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium on Monday (4 July 2022). General Cavoli succeeds General Tod Wolters of the US Air Force, who had been in the post since 2019.
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General Christopher Cavoli (left) of the US Army took over command of Allied Command Operations in a ceremony at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium on Monday (4 July 2022). (Picture source: NATO)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg commended General Wolters for his “selfless commitment to our Alliance”, including his work responding to the COVID pandemic, transitioning the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, and “responding with speed and strength to Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine”. He further thanked General Wolters for leading the development and execution of “an entirely new family of NATO defence plans”, which paved the way for transformative decisions at the Madrid Summit. “You were quite simply the right leader, at the right post, at the right time,” said Mr. Stoltenberg. In recognition of General Wolters’ outstanding service to the Alliance, the Secretary General awarded him with the NATO Meritorious Service Medal.

The Secretary General welcomed General Cavoli, noting that his 35-year military career has spanned the globe, from Bosnia to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Washington D.C. “Most recently, as Commanding General of US Army Europe and Africa, you have overseen the largest reinforcement of US presence in Europe in decades, with over 100,000 troops,” he said. “You join us at a turning point for transatlantic security, marked by rising strategic competition and the return of brutal conflict to Europe,” said Mr. Stoltenberg. “I know you will continue to serve NATO with the same leadership and dedication you have always shown.”

Allied Command Operations is responsible for the planning and execution of all NATO operations. General Cavoli is the twentieth Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The first to occupy the post was General Dwight D. Eisenhower, subsequently the 34th President of the United States.

SHAPE held a change of command ceremony where incoming Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Christopher Cavoli (left) assumes command from SACEUR General Tod D. Wolters (right). During the ceremony, General Cavoli became the 20th SACEUR in a ceremony presided over by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (center). (Picture source: NATO/NIC Edouard Bocquet)

General Cavoli assumes command as 20th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)

Army General Christopher Gerard Cavoli serves as the commander of United States European Command since 1 July 2022 and Supreme Allied Commander Europe since 4 July 2022. He previously served as the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa from October 2020 to June 2022, and before that as the commanding general of United States Army Europe from January 2018 to September 2020.

Commissioned into the infantry from the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Cavoli served in the War in Afghanistan and commanded a brigade of the 1st Armored Division, the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command, and the 25th Infantry Division before assuming command of USAREUR in January 2018.

General Christopher Cavoli, new SACEUR (Picture source: U.S. DoD/Wikipedia)