NATO officially announced on Feb. 10 an agreement on a redistribution of senior command positions that will see a British officer take over Joint Force Command Norfolk—responsible for operation in the Atlantic and the Arctic—and an Italian officer taking charge of Joint Force Command Naples, two positions currently occupied by American officers. Poland and Germany will share Joint Force Command Brunssum—responsible for NATO’s eastern flank, on a rotational basis. JFC Brunssum is currently headed by a German officer. “As a result, all three Joint Force Commands (four star commands), which lead at the operational level in crisis and conflict, will be led by Europeans,” the NATO statement says.
At the same time, the United States will lead all three theater component commands, newly taking up responsibility for Allied Maritime Command, and maintaining leadership of Allied Land Command and Allied Air Command.
