United States European Command
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| Established: | August 1, 1952 |
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| Combatant Commander: | General Bantz J. Craddock, USA |
| Deputy Commander: | Vice Admiral Richard Gallagher, USN |
| Component of: | United States Department of Defense |
| Subordinate Commands: | United States Army Europe United States Naval Forces 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.
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.
The United States Africa Command was first established as a sub-unified command, subordinate to U.S. European Command, with an initial operational capability by October 2007. The new command will become fully operational in 2008 as a separate Unified Combatant Command.
[edit] Composition
The main combat power of EUCOM is formed around the US Seventh Army, US Sixth Fleet and Third 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. Joint Task Force Aztec Silence, a special operations force established under the command of Commander, Sixth Fleet, is involved in fighting Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans Sahara.
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 high Cold War strength 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. The acting commander of SOCEUR is Brigadier General Michael Repass. Special forces units within the AOR include the 352nd Special Operations Group of the USAF, based at RAF Mildenhall in the UK, a U.S. Navy SEALs unit, Naval Special Warfare Unit 2 in Germany, and, probably, U.S. Army Special Forces elements. The 10th Special Forces Group previously had a battalion permanently in the AOR but has now been relocated to Fort Carson, Colorado while retaining responsibility for operations within EUCOM.
HQ US EUCOM is also headquartered at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany. The Iceland Defense Force also formed part of EUCOM from 2002 to 2006, when it was transferred from Joint Forces Command in the October 2002 Unified Command Plan change.[1]
The Kaiserslautern Military Community is the largest U.S. military community outside of the U.S., while the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is the largest U.S. military hospital overseas, treating wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan.
[edit] Commanders
Previously, this position held the title "Commander in Chief, United States European Command". However, following an order dated October 24, 2002 by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, all CINCs in the United States military were retitled as "Commanders".
[edit] References
- USEUCOM Homepage
- See Also: Simon Duke, U.S. Military Forces and Installations in Europe, Oxford University Press for SIPRI, 1989
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