Building Bridges

Mike Anderson
Deputy Director
J9 - Interagency Partnering Directorate

Our Commander, Admiral Jim Stavridis, often challenges us to serve like a “bridge” linking U.S. European Command to others. In May, we linked EUCOM with three varied groups, acting as a kind of bridge spanning oceans and generations.

As part of our J9-Interagency Partnering Directorate “Public-Private Cooperation” and “Academic Outreach” missions we hosted three groups. Each visit afforded us the opportunity to talk about our EUCOM mission to people with differing backgrounds and ages representing both sides of the Atlantic.

On May 20 we hosted Admiral Stavridis’ Next Generation Advisory Panel. This is a select group of 12 bright, young European professionals who have been informally assembled to share a European perspective with our Commander. Six of the 12 NGAP members came to Stuttgart, Germany, for a EUCOM orientation. Like most bridging efforts, this afforded two-way communication. To paraphrase the Greek poet Nikos Kazantzakis: while they were here we offered ourselves as a bridge, over which we invited these young Europeans to cross, then moved out of the way to allow them to create bridges of their own. We are confident that this impressive group is doing just that.

On May 24 we connected our US military command to members of US civilian society. We hosted the Defense Orientation Conference Association, a group of American businessmen and women with an interest in supporting US National Security goals. They were an interesting group with lots of life experience and good judgment and were funding their own travel to Germany and the Baltic nations.

The President and members of the German chapter of the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association visited May 26. YATA is a pan-European youth group consisting predominantly of graduate students linked to the Atlantic Treaty Association that boasts more than 300 members in more than 30 European nations. Their questions displayed a fervent interest in maintaining and strengthening ties to the U.S., whose ties they see as having weakened. We linked them with young officers and civilians from across the staff during both professional and social connections. This was a bridging effort between generations and to youth of our host country, Germany.

These bridging efforts were a good investment of our time. Like the best bridges, constructed to span and provide passage, we believe these hosting events strengthen understanding. Like the greatest bridge builders of the ancient world, the Romans, we want our bridging efforts to withstand the test of time and be enduring.

Mike Anderson
Deputy Director
J-9 Interagency Partnering Directorate