Photo By Lt. Col. Travis Dettmer | U.S. Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, meets face to...... read more read more
IZMIR, Turkey (January 29, 2020) – Allied Land Command hosted the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Commanders Conference Wednesday for the first time since the headquarters was established in Izmir, Turkey seven years ago. The biannual conference is an opportunity for the SACEUR, U.S. Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters, to meet with Allied Command Operations (ACO) commanders, Command Senior Enlisted Leaders, and Political Advisors to discuss NATO priorities. Unique to this conference is the fact representatives from Allied Command Transformation (ACT) attended as well.
Topics covered during the conference included a focus on NATO’s Deterrence and Defense Posture, including the Deterrence and Defense of the Euro-Atlantic Area Concept, the Enablement of SACEUR’s Area of Responsibility, as well as NATO’s Operations, Missions and Activities. This iteration comes on the heels of the January 14-15 Military Committee meeting, another NATO event held biannually between Allied Chiefs of Defense.
"We’re here because we have a responsibility to fight in the competition phase and deliver peace,” said Gen. Wolters during his opening remarks. "And, every time we gather, if we’re not talking about the things we’re going to have to do to generate more peace and win, I think we’re making a mistake,” he said, expanding on the purpose of the gathering.
The conference, which is always chaired by SACEUR, is hosted at different Headquarters across Allied Command Operations on a rotating basis. This was the first time NATO Allied Land Command hosted the event.
"Günaydın ve Hoş Geldiniz! Good morning and welcome to Turkey! Thank you very much for this opportunity to have this conference here,” said LANDCOM commander, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. J.T. Thomson. “I’ll tell you, this is very important to LANDCOM, but from a bigger perspective, this is very important to the Republic of Turkey,” noting the excitement senior Turkish military and government officials conveyed to him during a recent meeting in Ankara. “[They told me] It is great that SACEUR is having his conference here,” he said.
NATO has had a continuous command structure presence in Izmir since Turkey joined the Alliance in 1952. LANDCOM is one of several NATO activities currently operating in Izmir. From 1952 – 2002 it operated as Allied Land Forces Southeast, a 4-star headquarters commanded by both U.S. and Turkish commanders during that period. In 2002, after the Prague Summit, it transformed into NATO’s Air Component Command and operated as such from 2002 – 2013. In 2013, following a NATO Command Structure review, it officially returned to the land domain as LANDCOM and has the mission to coordinate and synchronize NATO and Partner Land Forces by enabling land domain readiness, interoperability, standardization, and competency. LANDCOM has the additional mission to deploy headquarters elements to provide planning, coordination, and command and control capabilities to Allied forces.
Gen. Wolters emphasized the importance of commanders learning as much as possible from the different war fighting domains represented at the conference as well as representatives from ACT. “For all of us, every time we visit a fellow domain organization, we’re pleasantly surprised with what we learn. You walk away from that experience with a far better understanding of how to be successful and contribute outside of your specific domain,” he said.
Allied Command Operations and Allied Command Transformation are NATO’s two strategic military commands. ACO, commanded by the SACEUR, is responsible for all Alliance military operations. The command headquarters, known as Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, or SHAPE, is located in Casteau near Mons, Belgium. The mission of ACO and the SACEUR is to contribute to preserving the peace, security and territorial integrity of NATO member nations in its area of responsibility.
ACT, headquartered in the United States near Norfolk, Virginia, is commanded by French Air Force Gen. André Lanata. The organization’s mission is to contribute to preserving the peace, security and territorial integrity of Alliance member states by leading the warfare development of military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines. ACT’s mission complements ACO as it enables NATO to meet its level of ambition and core missions.
In addition to the SACEUR and the LANDCOM commander, other commanders and command representatives attending the event included German Army Gen. Erhard Bühler, Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum; U.S. Navy Adm. James Foggo, Allied JFC Naples; U.S. Air Force Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, Commander, Allied Air Command; British Army Gen. James Everard, Deputy SACEUR; German Army Gen. Markus Kneip, SHAPE Chief of Staff; British Navy Vice Adm. Keith Blount, Commander, NATO Allied Maritime Command; U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, Commander, Joint Force Command Norfolk; U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Commander, NATO Naval Striking and Support Forces; U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Eric P. Wendt, Commander, NATO Special Operations Headquarters; German Lt. Gen. General Jürgen Knappe, Commander, Joint Support and Enabling Command; British Navy Vice Adm. Paul Bennett, Chief of Staff, Allied Command Transformation; German Air Force Maj. Gen. Jörg Lebert, Commander, NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force; British Army Brig. Gen. Duncan Bedding, Commander, NATO Standing Joint Logistics Support Group; U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Phillip A. Stewart, Commander, NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force; Netherlands Army Brig. Gen. Hans Folmer, Deputy Commander, NATO Communication and Information Systems Group; and U.S. Army Col. James Dickerman, Commander, Allied Command Counter Intelligence.
| Date Taken: | 01.30.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 01.30.2020 02:33 |
| Story ID: | 360928 |
| Location: | IZMIR, 35, TR |
| Hometown: | TYLER, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 689 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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