Supreme Allied Commander Europe

The Supreme Allied Commander Europe ( SACEUR ) was originally the Commander in Chief of the NATO Strategic Command Europe and has been the Alliance’s Commander in Chief for Operations with strategic military responsibility since 2004. The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE, German for example Allied Headquarters Europe ) supports SACEUR in fulfilling its responsibility. In addition, the NATO Special Operations Headquarters is subordinate to SACEUR. At the same time, the SACEUR is the commander of the US European Command (USEUCOM) and therefore always an American general or admiral .

Emergence

Originally, the NATO strategic high command was divided into the areas of responsibility “Europe” and “Atlantic” ( Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic , SACLANT ). The area of responsibility for Europe emerged when the states of the North Atlantic Pact agreed at the end of 1950 to form armed forces for the defense of Europe, a so-called "integrated force under centralized command and control". A supreme commander with sufficient powers should form the national (large) associations into an “effective integrated force”. In October 1954, the NATO states decided that all armed forces stationed in the Allied Command Europe should submit to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The deployment of all armed forces subordinate to SACEUR had to be carried out in accordance with the Alliance's strategy. Furthermore, the SACEUR could not redeploy or operationally deploy the armed forces subordinate to it without the consent of the respective governments.

In peacetime, SACEUR and its subordinate NATO commanders had no authority over German units. He could only exercise the powers that ensured the integration of the German troops into the "integrated force" in terms of organization and training. Only with the takeover of the “operational command”, which requires the approval of the federal government, did the SACEUR receive command over assigned German armed forces units. The "operational command" refers to the field of military operations management.

However, the separation between the areas of responsibility “Europe” and “Atlantic” was lifted in 2003 , and the post of SACLANT was given up. As a result, a new command area was created: Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (German : Supreme Commander for Transformation , SACT ), which deals with the change and adaptation of NATO structures to new circumstances. SACT was until 2009 at the same time commander of US Joint Forces Command (dt. About Command Joint Armed Forces of the United States ).

SACEUR has traditionally kept “Europe” in its title, but its competencies have since included all NATO operations.

Competencies and deputies

SACEUR is responsible for the planning, preparation and management of all NATO operations authorized by the NATO Council at the strategic management level. He is involved in the development of military-political concepts for the Alliance and advises the NATO Military Committee and the NATO Secretary General from a military-strategic perspective.

SACEUR is headed by the NATO headquarters in Brussels with the chairman of the military committee in his military-political function and the NATO council with the secretary-general at the head in his political role. A British general (DSACEUR / Deputy SACEUR) acts as the representative of SACEUR . A German general is chief of staff of SHAPE ( Engl. COS). From 1979 to the end of the 1990s there were two deputies each, the positions DSACEUR and COS rotated between Great Britain and Germany. Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed to the first SACEUR in 1951 . The first German DSACEUR was General Gerd Schmückle from January 3, 1978 to April 1, 1980 .

List of SACEUR

No.	Surname	Beginning of the appointment	End of appointment
19th	Death of D. Wolters ( USAF )	3rd May 2019	-
18th	Curtis M. Scaparrotti ( USA )	4th May 2016	3rd May 2019
17th	Philip M. Breedlove ( USAF )	13th of May 2013	4th May 2016
16	James G. Stavridis ( USN )	July 2, 2009	13th of May 2013
15th	Bantz J. Craddock ( USA )	December 7, 2006	July 2, 2009
14th	James L. Jones ( USMC )	January 17, 2003	December 7, 2006
13	Joseph W. Ralston (USAF)	May 3, 2000	January 17, 2003
12	Wesley K. Clark (USA)	July 11, 1997	May 3, 2000
11	George A. Joulwan (USA)	October 22, 1993	July 11, 1997
10	John M. Shalikashvili (USA)	June 23, 1992	October 22, 1993
9	John R. Galvin (USA)	June 26, 1987	June 23, 1992
8th	Bernard W. Rogers (USA)	July 1, 1979	June 26, 1987
7th	Alexander M. Haig, Jr. (USA)	15th December 1974	July 1, 1979
6th	Andrew J. Goodpaster (USA)	1st July 1969	15th December 1974
5	Lyman L. Lemnitzer (USA)	January 1, 1963	1st July 1969
4th	Lauris Norstad (USAF)	November 20, 1956	January 1, 1963
3	Alfred M. Gruenther (USA)	July 11, 1953	November 20, 1956
2	Matthew B. Ridgway (USA)	May 30, 1952	July 11, 1953
1	Dwight D. Eisenhower (USA)	April 2, 1951	May 30, 1952

Since General Ridgway, SACEUR has also been the commander of the US European Command .

Web links

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (English)
List of former SACEUR ( Memento of September 14, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
Allied Command Transformation (English)

Individual evidence

^ According to Walter Schwengler, Sicherheit vor Deutschland. International legal ties of the Federal Republic of Germany according to the Paris Treaties of 1954 , in: Bruno Thoss (Ed.): From the Cold War to German Unity. Analyzes and eyewitness reports on German military history 1945 to 1955. On behalf of the Military History Research Office. Munich 1995, p. 105.
↑ ^a ^b Walter Schwengler, security against Germany. International legal ties of the Federal Republic of Germany according to the Paris Treaties of 1954 , in: Bruno Thoss (Ed.): From the Cold War to German Unity. Analyzes and eyewitness reports on German military history from 1945 to 1955. Munich 1995, p. 105.
↑ See Walter Schwengler, Sicherheit vor Deutschland. International legal ties of the Federal Republic of Germany according to the Paris Treaties of 1954 , in: Bruno Thoss (Ed.): From the Cold War to German Unity. Analyzes and eyewitness reports on German military history from 1945 to 1955. Munich 1995, p. 105.
↑ See Walter Schwengler, Sicherheit vor Deutschland. International legal ties of the Federal Republic of Germany according to the Paris Treaties of 1954 , in: Bruno Thoss (Ed.): From the Cold War to German Unity. Analyzes and eyewitness reports on German military history 1945 to 1955. Munich 1995, p. 105 f.

[1] According to Walter Schwengler, Sicherheit vor Deutschland. International legal ties of the Federal Republic of Germany according to the Paris Treaties of 1954 , in: Bruno Thoss (Ed.): From the Cold War to German Unity. Analyzes and eyewitness reports on German military history 1945 to 1955. On behalf of the Military History Research Office. Munich 1995, p. 105.

[Schwengler_105-2] Walter Schwengler, security against Germany. International legal ties of the Federal Republic of Germany according to the Paris Treaties of 1954 , in: Bruno Thoss (Ed.): From the Cold War to German Unity. Analyzes and eyewitness reports on German military history from 1945 to 1955. Munich 1995, p. 105.

[3] See Walter Schwengler, Sicherheit vor Deutschland. International legal ties of the Federal Republic of Germany according to the Paris Treaties of 1954 , in: Bruno Thoss (Ed.): From the Cold War to German Unity. Analyzes and eyewitness reports on German military history from 1945 to 1955. Munich 1995, p. 105.

[4] See Walter Schwengler, Sicherheit vor Deutschland. International legal ties of the Federal Republic of Germany according to the Paris Treaties of 1954 , in: Bruno Thoss (Ed.): From the Cold War to German Unity. Analyzes and eyewitness reports on German military history 1945 to 1955. Munich 1995, p. 105 f.