|
|
||||||||
| Info |
General James L. Jones, US Marine Corps, becomes the 14th Supreme Allied Commander, Europe 16
January 2003
Today, Friday 17 January 2003, General James L. Jones, US Marine Corps, became the 14th Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. General Jones took over the command from General Joseph W. Ralston, US Air Force, during a ceremony at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium. "I deeply appreciate this opportunity to serve such an important organization at such an exciting time in its history," General Jones said, pointing out the expansion of NATO, the development of a rapid reaction force to meet new challenges and the ongoing Balkans operations as the three pillars of the Alliance's near future. "The transatlantic community is undergoing a fundamental change to meet the demands of a new, more complex, yet equally dangerous security environment. Allied Command Europe will play a critical role in the transformation."
The NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, led the Change of Command Ceremony that took place one day after General Jones took over the US European Command in Stuttgart. This is the first time that a Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) has been appointed from the US Marine Corps.
Lord Robertson pointed out the averting of a full-scale civil
war in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia ( "This has been a challenging period, where we have shifted our focus away from traditional collective defence to embrace the emerging realities of Euro-Atlantic security in the twenty-first century…away from large, standing forces defending terrain to more mobile, agile forces able to react to the new threats. The transformation of the Alliance has begun," General Ralston said in his farewell remarks.
General Jones is now in overall command of all NATO's military forces in Europe, as well as NATO-led operations in the Balkans where more than 30 countries contribute to peace and security. Allied Command Europe's mission is to preserve the peace, security and territorial integrity of the NATO member nations. General Jones was appointed to his position last summer following a nomination by US President George W. Bush to the NATO Secretary General and agreement by the NATO member countries. General Jones' appointment will be of approximately three years' duration.
|
