A non-American as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO? That’d be ‘problematic,’ Cavoli says
"It would put us in a position where, in an Article 5 situation, we could have for the first time since the First World War, large numbers of American troops under non US command," current SACEUR Gen. Christopher Cavoli told lawmakers.
By Valerie Insinna
on April 03, 2025 at 2:35 PM
WASHINGTON — It would be “problematic” for the US to abandon its tradition of insisting an American serve as NATO’s commanding general, the officer currently in the position of Supreme Allied Commander (SACEUR) warned lawmakers today.
“I think that would bring some challenges in terms of nuclear command and control,” Gen. Christopher Cavoli, who is dual-hatted as SACEUR and head of the US military’s European Command, said in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “It would put us in a position where, in an Article 5 [mutual defense] situation, we could have for the first time since the First World War, large numbers of American troops under non-US command. So I think those are things that would have to be considered carefully.”
As part of a larger restructuring of the US military’s combatant commands, the Defense Department is considering relinquishing the role atop the NATO chain of command, which has always been held by an American four-star, historically by the head of US European Command, since the alliance’s founding, NBC reported last month. A Pentagon spokesperson did not immediately respond to Breaking Defense’s request for comment on the status of those deliberations.
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/04/a-non-american-as-supreme-allied-commander-of-nato-thatd-be-problematic-cavoli-says/
