The new NATO commander in Europe will be in charge

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Just one day after thehistoric two-day NATO summitin Madrid, the alliance vows to be the new Supreme Allied Commander and the head of the United States European Command (EUCOM). rice field.

At a command change ceremony in Stuttgart, Germany, General Christopher Cavoli, a four-star American general who has led the U.S. military in Europe, raises his right hand and takes command of the expanding NATO. I did. There are 300,000 active troops under his watch.

There are also two new member states, Finland and Sweden, and all 30NATO Member State Parliamentsvote to include them.

"Chris knows Europe better than any living officer in today's uniform. Chris is literally made to lead EUCOM, "General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the ceremony with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. 

Austin thanked General Todd Walters, the retired commander, who oversaw the transformation of the NATO for several months after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

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"Future generations, all of us at this crucial moment I believe in looking back on how to serve the cause of freedom, "Austin said at the ceremony. .. "They are all inspired by the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people. They will be fascinated by the way well-meaning nations have gathered against Putin's invasion."

General Putin's fatherserved in the Armyfor 32 years and retired as a colonel. Christopher was born at a US military base in Italy when his father was serving. He attended Princeton University and joined the Army as an infantryman of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Northern Italy.

"He grew up in Europe, lives all over the continent and is fluent in French, Russian and Italian. Reads Spanish and Portuguese. Understands and communicates with Polish and Ukrainian. It is directly related to about half of the European population. "

In Bosnia and in battle with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan. He commanded the 1st Armored Division's Brigade Combat Team. He commanded the 7th Army Training Group in Europe and was the Deputy Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and later the 25th Infantry Division. 

He received a master's degree from Yale University in Russian studies and was the director of the Russian desk, a co-staff of the Department of Defense. 

"He's tough. He's a veteran in combat. He's smart and has a deep understanding of Europe and Russia," Millie said. "Chris Cavoli is the right officer to perform the right job at the right time .... We are in that crucial moment of a transitional period of history, and EUCOM attaches great importance to it. You support a rule-based international order. You are protecting an important American organization, and importantly, you are preventing a great power war. "

General Cavoli oversees some of Europe's greatest changes in military attitude since World War II. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, the Pentagon has deployed or deployed more than 20,000 US troops in Europe

Currently, more than 100,000 in the United States. Army is based in Europe. And soon, 40,000 NATO reserves will be increased to 300,000 NATO troops.

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"Dwight Eisenhower shared the same passionate hope that he and the leaders of the alliance would" serve and secure free humanity. "We still share that hope. is doing. We are still burning the flame, "Austin said.

NATO summit in Madrid,President Biden, US Army Council in Poland Establishedand take turns to protect the eastern side of NATO. The Rotating Combat Brigade will be sent to Romania, the two F-35 squadrons to the United Kingdom, the two Navy destroyers to Spain, and the short range air defense to Italy.

Another 625 military personnel head to Germany to operate an air defense missile system.

"Putin is looking for Finnishization of Europe," Biden said at the NATO summit. "He intends to get NATO in Europe, which is exactly what he does not want, but that is exactly what needs to be done to ensure the security of Europe.

President Biden announced on Fridayadditional $ 820 million in security assistance for additional weapons for Europe, including air defense weapons requested by the Ukrainian government.

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This is the 14th drawdown package announced after August 2021. Yes, it includes ammunition for HIMARS, two national altitude anti-aircraft missile systems (NASAMS), 155mm ammunition, and four anti-aircraft radars .. 

Ukraine has four There are two HIMARS, or M142 high-mobility artillery rocket systems. These are lightweight multiple rocket launchers developed for the U.S. Army in the late 1990s. These are used by senior defense officials. And now there are four more by the end of July.