United States European Command

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United States European Command

Established:	1 August 1952
Commander:	General Bantz J. Craddock, USA
Deputy Commander:	General William E. Ward, USA
Component of:	United States Department of Defense
Subordinate Commands:	United States Army European United States Naval Forces Europe United States Marine Forces Europe United States Air Forces in Europe United States Special Operations Command Europe

The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of responsibility covers 21 million square miles and 92 countries and territories, including Europe, Turkey, Greenland, the former Soviet Union, except the five central Asian republics (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and Africa except for Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia.

It was thus the lead command for potential operations during the Cold War, and also during the Kosovo War. It also controlled the forces flying from Incirlik Air Base during the Gulf War and Operation Northern Watch. Its commander is dual-hatted and also assumes the role of Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) in the NATO hierarchy.

[edit] Composition

The main combat power of EUCOM is formed around the US Seventh Army, US Sixth Fleet and Sixteenth Air Force.

The Seventh Army is based in Germany. It controls one corps of two divisions, although for almost all of the Cold War it had two corps and four divisions under its command.

The Sixth Fleet patrols the Mediterranean and thus covered NATO's southern flank and now provides protection to shipping from possible terrorist attack whilst passing through the Straits of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal.

The HQ Air Command Europe, the Wing-support command, and the Sixteenth Air Force, USAFE's Warfighting Headquarters, both based at Ramstein Air Base in Germany form U.S. Air Forces Europe (USAFE). They are now much reduced from their Cold War high strengths and provide a pool of airpower closer to many trouble spots than aircraft flying from the United States. Also in Italy is the 173d Airborne Brigade, reformed in the mid-1990s, that took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq by parachuting into the north of the country to assist Kurdish rebels in the region.

The Command's Special Operations component, SOCEUR (Special Operations Command, Europe) has its headquarters at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany.

HQ US EUCOM is also headquartered at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany.

[edit] Commanders

	Name	Branch	Term began	Term ended
1.	General Matthew Ridgway	U.S. Army	May 30, 1952	July 11, 1953
2.	General Alfred Gruenther	U.S. Army	July 1, 1953	November 20, 1956
3.	General Lauris Norstad	U.S. Air Force	November 20, 1956	January 1, 1963
4.	General Lyman Lemnitzer	U.S. Army	January 1, 1963	July 1, 1969
5.	General Andrew Goodpaster	U.S. Army	July 1, 1969	December 15, 1974
6.	General Alexander Haig	U.S. Army	December 15, 1974	July 1, 1979
7.	General Bernard W. Rogers	U.S. Army	July 1, 1979	June 26, 1987
8.	General John Galvin	U.S. Army	June 26, 1987	June 23, 1992
9.	General John Shalikashvili	U.S. Army	June 23, 1992	October 22, 1993
10.	General George Joulwan	U.S. Army	October 22, 1993	July 11, 1997
11.	General Wesley Clark	U.S. Army	July 11, 1997	May 3, 2000
12.	General Joseph Ralston	U.S. Air Force	May 3, 2000	January 17, 2003
13.	General James L. Jones	U.S. Marine Corps	January 17, 2003	December 4, 2006
14.	General Bantz J. Craddock	U.S. Army	December 4, 2006	Current

Previously, this position held the title "Commander in Chief, United States European Command". However, following an order dated 24 October 2002 by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, all CINCs in the United States military were retitled as "Commanders".

[edit] External link

• USEUCOM Homepage

Unified Combatant Commands of the United States armed forces
Regional responsibilities
US Northern Command - US Central Command - US European Command - US Pacific Command - US Southern Command
Functional responsibilities
US Special Operations Command - US Joint Forces Command - US Strategic Command - US Transportation Command - US Unified Medical Command