Supreme Allied Commander Europe
PostSupreme Allied Commander Europe
InsigniaCoat of arms of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.svg
Insigniasize90px
InsigniacaptionSHAPE coat of arms
IncumbentGeneral Alexus G. Grynkewich
Incumbentsince4 July 2025[1]
DepartmentNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Operations (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe)
AbbreviationSACEUR
Reports toNorth Atlantic Council,
through NATO Military Committee
ResidenceChateau Gendebien
SeatCasteau, Mons, Belgium
NominatorPresident of the United States,
with Senate advice and consent
AppointerNorth Atlantic Council
Formation2 April 1951
FirstGeneral of the Army
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Websiteshape.nato.int

The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is based at SHAPE in Casteau, Belgium. In effect, SACEUR is the second-highest military position within NATO, below only the Chair of the NATO Military Committee in terms of precedence.[2] There is another Supreme Allied Commander in NATO, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), titularly equal, but whose duties are less operational. SACT, in Norfolk, Virginia, has responsibility for capability development rather than operations.

SACEUR, by tradition, has always been held by a U.S. military officer, and the position is dual-hatted with that of Commander of United States European Command.

The current SACEUR is General Alexus G. Grynkewich of the US Air Force.

List of holders

Since 2003 the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) has also served as the head of Allied Command Europe and the head of Allied Command Operations. The officeholders have been:[3]

Deputy

The position of Deputy Supreme Allied Command Europe (DSACEUR) has been known as Deputy Head of Allied Command Operations since 2003. From January 1978 until June 1993 there were two DSACEURs, one British and one German. From July 1993 this reverted to a single DSACEUR. With a small number of exceptions who were German military officers, DSACEUR is normally a British military officer. The officeholders have been as follows:

Single DSACEUR (April 1951 – January 1978)

No.PortraitDeputy Supreme Allied CommanderStart of termEnd of termBranchUnit of Commission
1.Field Marshal The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein,2 April 195123 September 1958Royal Warwickshire Regiment
2.General Sir Richard Gale,23 September 195822 September 1960Worcestershire Regiment
3.General Sir Hugh Stockwell,22 September 19601 January 1964Royal Welch Fusiliers
4.Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Thomas Pike,1 January 19641 March 1967N/A
5.General Sir Robert Bray,1 March 19671 December 1970Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment
6.General Sir Desmond Fitzpatrick,1 December 197012 November 19731st The Royal Dragoons
7.General Sir John Mogg,12 November 197312 March 1976Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
8.General Sir Harry Tuzo,12 March 19763 January 1978 (As solo DSACEUR)Royal Artillery

Two DSACEURs (January 1978 until June 1993)

BritishGerman
No.PortraitDeputy Supreme Allied CommanderTermBranchUnit of CommissionStart of termEnd of termNo.PortraitDeputy Supreme Allied CommanderTermBranch
8.General Sir Harry Tuzo,3 January 1978 - 2 November 1978 (As Co-DSACEUR)Royal Artillery3 January 19782 November 19789.General Gerd Schmückle3 January 1978 - 1 April 1980-
10.General Sir Jack Harman,2 November 1978 - 9 April 19812nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)2 November 19781 April 1980
1 April 19809 April 198111.Admiral Günter Luther1 April 1980 - 1 April 1982Naval aviation
12.Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Terry,9 April 1981 - 16 July 1984Royal Air Force Regiment (anti-aircraft artillery)9 April 19811 April 1982
1 April 19822 April 198413.General Günter Kießling1 April 1982
2 April 198416 July 198414.General Hans-Joachim Mack2 April 1984 - 1 October 1987
15.General Sir Edward Burgess,16 July 1984Royal Artillery16 July 198426 June 1987
16.General Sir John Akehurst,26 June 1987 - 17 January 1990Northamptonshire Regiment26 June 19871 October 1987
1 October 198717 January 199017.General Eberhard Eimler1 October 1987 - 2 October 1990N/A
18.General Sir Brian Kenny,17 January 1990 - 5 April 19934th Queen's Own Hussars17 January 19902 October 1990
2 October 19905 April 199319.General Dieter Clauss2 October 1990 - 1 July 1993-
20.General Sir John Waters,5 April 1993 - 1 July 1993 (As Co-DSACEUR)Gloucestershire Regiment5 April 19931 July 1993

Single DSACEUR (July 1993 – present)

No.PortraitDeputy Supreme Allied CommanderStart of termEnd of termBranchUnit of Commission
20.General Sir John Waters,1 July 1993 (As solo DSACEUR)12 December 1994Gloucestershire Regiment
21.General Sir Jeremy Mackenzie,12 December 199430 November 1998Queen's Own Highlanders
22.General Sir Rupert Smith,30 November 199817 September 2001Parachute Regiment
23.General Dieter Stöckmann17 September 200118 September 2002Panzergrenadier
24.Admiral Rainer Feist18 September 20021 October 2004N/A
25.General Sir John Reith,1 October 200422 October 2007Parachute Regiment
26.General Sir John McColl,22 October 2007March 2011Royal Anglian Regiment
27.General Sir Richard Shirreff,March 2011March 201414th/20th King's Hussars
28.General Sir Adrian Bradshaw,March 2014March 201714th/20th King's Hussars
29.General Sir James Everard,March 2017April 202017th/21st Lancers
30.General Sir Tim Radford,April 2020July 2023The Light Infantry
31.Admiral Sir Keith E. Blount,July 2023March 2026Fleet Air Arm
32.Air Chief Marshal Sir John J. Stringer,March 2026IncumbentN/A

Role in intra-European defence integration

See also: European Defence Community, European Union–NATO relations and Common Security and Defence Policy

DSACEUR's role in European Union missions

Under the 2002 Berlin Plus agreement, SHAPE may take part in the European Union's (EU) command and control structure as an operational headquarters (OHQ) for EU missions. In such an instance, the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR), who is always a European, would serve as Operation Commander (OpCdr). This use of SHAPE by the EU is subject to a "right of first refusal", i.e. NATO must first decline to intervene in a given crisis,[4][5] and is contingent upon unanimous approval among NATO states, including those outside of the EU.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "NATO welcomes new Supreme Allied Commander Europe". North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
  2. ^ Force V: The history of Britain's airborne deterrent, by Andrew Brookes. Jane's Publishing Co Ltd; First Edition 1 Jan. 1982, ISBN 0710602383, p.129, 130, 137, 151.
  3. ^ "List of Former SACEURs". Brussels: NATO. Archived 2013-02-25 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "CONSILIUM - EU Operations Centre". www.consilium.europa.eu
  5. ^ The Heritage Foundation report, March 24, 2008.
  6. ^ Bram Boxhoorn, Broad Support for NATO in the Netherlands, 21-09-2005, "Article". Archived from the original on 2007-02-18. Retrieved 2007-08-19.