From the Bridge
Up North
Just back from Sweden and Finland -- not NATO allies, but certainly premier partners both. I visited both in my hat as Commander of US European Command.
In both nations, I spent time discussing our work together in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as potential operations with the NATO response force for training and exercises in the time ahead.
All attendees of the Northern Europe Chiefs of Defence Conference held at the Hilton Hotel Helsinki, Finland, on Thursday 18 October 2012. Of note, I was also at the Northern European Chiefs of Defense meeting in Helsinki, Finland -- CHODs or senior reps from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway were all present.
We discussed four topics: pooling and sharing resources to support the NATO framework; air policing; Nordic-Baltic military coordination; and evolving Arctic concerns.
All are important topics, but I'd like to focus here on the Arctic, because I believe it's an issue that will continue to grow in importance.
The Arctic -- an area of about 13 million square miles -- is one of the last remote frontiers in the world. As the ice cap melts, however, that remoteness is fading and we're seeing new opportunities in the region. But with those opportunities, however, come risks and concerns, among which are man-made disasters like oil spills and wrecks, and security and safety issues associated with new shipping lanes in a once closed area.
This icebreaker, the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, broke through sea ice in January 2012 so that the Russian tanker Renda could deliver fuel to snowbound Nome, Alaska. Most of the year, shipping in the Arctic requires the assistance of icebreakers, but as sea ice declines, more of the Arctic may open to ship traffic.
As more Arctic shipping lanes open, the volume of maritime traffic and the overall human presence in the Arctic will increase. We'll see more commercial traffic and scientific exploration missions, non-state actors trafficking illegal goods or other illicit cargo, or even just adventurous tourists. We are keen to leverage an interagency approach to address the risks, concerns, and opportunities associated with Arctic activities.
Bottom line: the increase in Arctic shipping traffic and the movement of humans north elevates the potential for man-made disasters like oil spills and ship accidents and the consequent need for appropriate response and rescue capabilities.
We're already taking steps to build those capabilities. The Arctic Council Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX), for instance, is a multinational exercise series that tests military and civilian capabilities for search and rescue. Also, Arctic nations recently evaluated their current Arctic SAR capabilities and tested the effectiveness of the international response in the Greenland SAREX, led by Denmark's Greenland Command.
Earlier this year, Exercise Northern Eagle brought together U.S., Russian, and Norwegian ships in the Barents Sea to prepare for rescue and anti-piracy missions. As an Arctic nation with significant coastline "up north" the US will remain engaged.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy in the Arctic. One thing we must avoid is militarizing the Arctic. We need to ensure this open space becomes a zone of cooperation, not a zone of confrontation as it was during the Cold War. Cooperation in the Arctic today, through organizations like the Arctic Council, can help build trust and focus our efforts in areas of mutual interest to maintain regional security.
We need to make sure the area remains "high north, low tension."
After my time in Sweden and Finland -- and with other key nations involved -- I can say with confidence that the Arctic area nations are beginning to work together to address these security concerns.
This past August, 12 European and North American nations met for the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable. In this Norwegian Ministry of Defense and EUCOM-sponsored event, senior leaders focused on communication among security forces, maritime domain awareness, and other ways to handle the anticipated increase in maritime traffic and related effects as the Arctic sea ice recedes.
As our world changes and areas like the Arctic emerge as new human, environmental, and national security concerns, we should continue to pursue opportunities to promote a balanced approach to these issues through multilateral, collaborative relationships, as we did this week at the Northern Europe Chiefs of Defense Conference.
Best,
Jim
Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
"Stronger Together"
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Brussels and the Balkans
I spent the early part of the week at the meeting of the NATO Defence Ministers at NATO Headquarters up in Brussels, about 45 minutes north of my operational command in Mons, Belgium. The second was with the NATO and additional troop contributing nations to our ongoing mission in Kosovo.
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Missiles and Pirates
In the week ahead, I'll focus on two topics that don't always get a huge amount of attention, but are very important: piracy and missile defense.
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An Active Autumn Ahead
As we wrap up high summer, it's a sensible time to look ahead at the fall and think about the big tasks facing the NATO Alliance and US European Command. The Olympics and the Jubilee fade to memory, and hopefully most folks have managed to break away for a short vacation to recharge. The autumn will be a busy time.
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EUCOM Turns 60 Today
Today we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the inception of our command. Our dedicated Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and civilians are a fine time.
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Rejoinder to "Punch Them in the Nose ... and Then Leave" by CDR John Kuehn, Proceedings
While I certainly sympathize with the thrust of John Kuehn's title in his energetic article about the situation in Afghanistan, I'd like to offer a somewhat different perspective from my position as the Supreme Allied Commander for all NATO operations, including the 140,000, 50-nation coalition in Afghanistan.
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Three Good Events in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is always challenging. We continue to focus on the ongoing insurgency, the presence of terrorists across the border in Pakistan, and a persistent level of corruption. Yet over the past few days, we've had a string of fairly positive developments.
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How to Brief a Senior Officer
I was recently asked on-line about "how to brief a senior officer?” Great question!
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The Heart of the World
What I really want to talk about this evening is something that is cherished in the heart of everyone in this room - journalism. Journalism is a demanding and peculiar profession.
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NATO: A Summer Agenda
As NATO finishes up the successful Chicago Summit and moves into the summer months, several key issues are bubbling.
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Memorial Day: Honoring 60 Years of EUCOM Sacrifices that Kept our Nation Secure
Memorial Day is a time of reflection for our nation – and especially for our service members – as we honor those who gave their lives so that others may live. However, this year’s Memorial Day is even more significant, as August 1, 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the inception of U.S. European Command (EUCOM).
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Commitment to 2014 and Beyond
As the North Atlantic Council finished up the 25th Summit it is clearly evident that it was a summit of commitment. The Alliance made the commitment to complete transition in Afghanistan and to support Afghans in achieving a stable future. It also made the commitment to ensuring NATO is capable of dealing with 21st century challenges, as well as the commitment to further strengthen connections with our global partners. Most importantly, the Chicago Summit demonstrated our commitment to each other - the unbreakable bond between North America and Europe, which remains the bedrock of our security.
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Twenty Great Novels for Summer Reading
As we head into the summer, I went back to some of the great reads of the last century in fiction. Some are famous and well known to generations of high school and college students -- but might deserve a re-read. Others are less well known to broad audiences.
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Sailing on to the NATO Chicago Summit
We've just concluded the two big warm-up events that have brought into focus what we'll be doing at the NATO Summit in mid-May, scheduled to be held in Chicago.
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Happy 60th Birthday to Baden-Württemberg, EUCOM’s Partner and Host
Today, Baden-Württemberg (BW), Germany celebrates the 60th anniversary of officially becoming a state. I heartily congratulate them on this historic occasion.
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Risks, Opportunities, and Open Source Security
In the world of security, we are generally focused on "risk." We worry about the chances of war, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the likelihood of a ballistic missile attack, or the possibility of a biologic contagion. Understanding risk allows us to calculate how much we should spend on defense compared to what our potential opponents are spending.
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Connecting public and private efforts to create security in the 21st century
I'm thinking about how to connect public and private efforts to create security. In this turbulent 21st century, security is not about creating walls. We won't deliver a secure world strictly from the barrel of a gun.
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Prepping for Congressional Testimony
One of the most important things I do each year is to testify in front of the US Congress. I'm at home this weekend preparing carefully for this annual opportunity to lay out the challenges, linkages, and initiatives of U.S. European Command.
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The future of U.S. forces in Europe
The United States and European militaries have a history of enduring partnerships and respect based on mutual core values and ideals including democracy, human rights, freedom of speech, and the right to liberty and justice for all.
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Back From Afghanistan
As always, Afghanistan presents a mixed picture; but I remain cautiously optimistic that we can execute our planned transition to Afghan security responsibility across the country by the end of 2014. We are continuing to build on a successful 2011 from a security perspective.
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Key Elements from the Munich Security Conference
Ah, the Munich Security Conference. Certainly the most prestigious of all the global security conferences, with routine appearances by heads of government, Defense and other ministers of state, brilliant academics, journalists and even a few Admirals and Generals.
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Outline shaping up for Chicago summit
After a busy week of meetings and presentations in London, Berlin, and Washington DC, I am beginning to see the outline of key NATO conversations at the summit in May.
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Top Five Books of 2011
I've spent a lot of time traveling this past year, which is a huge part of the job. As a result, I've had plenty of time to read, which is the best way to build intellectual capital as well as learn about other countries and experiences. Here are five books I particularly enjoyed reading this year.
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Afghanistan in 2012
The New Year is unfolding, and I'm thinking about Afghanistan. I think there are three keys to our success in the security sector, where NATO and the International Coalition have the largest share of the work to do.
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NATO in 2011 – Five Key Events
As I look back on 2011, I think we had a reasonably good year in the operational sense. Lots of good “end of the year” retrospectives are appearing in various magazines and on-line sites, and I thought I’d chip in with my own top five operational moments for the Alliance this past year – and a hope that it stays at least relatively quiet between now and the end of the year.Stavridis
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Three Failures and What I Learned From Each …
I was speaking this past fall to a group of Cadets and Midshipmen, young college students bound for military careers. They asked me to talk a little about my career and what I’d learned along the way. After pausing and thinking for a minute, I realized the three events that swam into focus were all moments of failure. Yet from each of them I learned something valuable that I still carry around in my mind.
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Interacting with AID
At the invitation of my good friend and colleague, AID Administrator Raj Shah, I had the chance to speak to his senior team about their extraordinary work on global issues of poverty, disease, and economic development.
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A few words on Human Rights...
I recently was lucky enough to win the Athenagoras Human Rights Award, presented annually for exemplifying “concern for the basic rights and religious freedom of all people.” Past winners have included Presidents Bush and Carter, Mother Theresa, Bishop Tutu, and many world religious leaders over the past twenty years.
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Developing a True Strategic Partnership with Russia
My visit was part of NATO’s outreach and desire to develop a “true strategic partnership with Russia,” as it says in the Strategic Concept approved at the Lisbon Summit last fall. In my role as the Supreme Allied Commander, I continue to search for zones of cooperation with the Russian military.
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Briefing the Ministers …
This coming week, the 28 Ministers of Defense of the NATO alliance will gather in Brussels for meetings and discussions. They will be accompanied by another 22 Ministers from additional troop contributing nations in Afghanistan — in essence, the entire coalition will be represented.
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“Revulsion, Resolution, and Response” – 9/11 Remembered
As everyone knows, this September eleventh marks the ten year anniversary of the attacks against the United States by Al Qaida, the so-called 9/11 attacks, carried out on 11 September 2001.
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Operation Unified Protector
I spent much of last night working on what appears to be the endgame of the Libyan campaign. By the morning of 22 August, it appears that the end was in sight for the Kaddaffy regime, although events are moving fast and nothing is ever sure until it actually occurs.
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Read … Think … and Write
Distinguished guests, board members and faculty, friends, men and women in uniform—both academic and military—good morning! It truly is an HONOR to be here with you on this fantastic, mid-August DC morning as you are about to kick off your academic year in earnest—Admiral Rondeau asked me to speak for about two hours? Is that OK? Everyone comfortable?
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Balkan Ghosts
Libya and Afghanistan seem to get all the headlines about NATO these days. But lately, I've been thinking and working on the Balkans. We need to make sure that the Balkan ghosts of violence from the 1990s don't reappear.
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Ramadan Mubarak!
I like to recognize the start of Ramadan so that we can all be sensitive to our colleagues and friends who are fasting, making sure to keep this time of year in mind when planning events. This is particularly the case in places like Afghanistan, where our interactions with government counterparts must take into consideration the adjusted work hours.
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Libya Update
NATO is conducting operations over Libya to support UN resolutions 1970 and 1973, which call for establishing an arms embargo, instituting a "no-fly" zone, and protecting the civilian population of Libya. These missions are going reasonably well, particularly the no-fly zone and arms embargo which are both clear mission successes.
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Three Transitions in Afghanistan
I'm flying over the Caspian Sea, returning from three days in Afghanistan. It was an eventful visit, my tenth over the past twenty months or so.
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Hierarchy in Today’s Military
I'm in Washington for a final set of meetings with Secretary of Defense Bob Gates -- we'll miss him. A lot is changing in DC at the moment.
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Balance
I think "balance" is an important word. Many of us -- including me -- simply overload our circuits on the work side of the equation. I recognize how important all that we are doing feels to us, yet I would submit that perhaps we'd be more effective if we "balanced" our work with an appropriate amount of rest and recuperation.
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Effective Partnering for Cyber Security
A little over a week ago, at the request of EUCOM, the U.S. Embassy in Riga and the Latvian government, a small group of cyber security experts donated their time and expertise to conduct a strategic assessment of Latvia’s cyber security infrastructure.
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The Words They Leave To Us
I want to give voice to the men and women who have given their lives for this nation.
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Commencement season is upon us...
Good morning. Good morning especially to the Class of 2011.
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Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR Update
Since NATO took over the Libyan mission at the end of March (see my earlierblog for a description of the mission), we have launchedalmost 6,000 total aircraft sorties. Over 2,500 of them have been strikeand suppression of air defenses. While the US provides about 25 percent ofthe support sorties (intelligence, refueling, surveillance, reconnaissance,suppression of enemy air defense), the rest of the coalition provides theremaining 75 percent.
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My speech notes from the Atlantic Council Awards dinner: Why NATO Matters …
Thank you very much, Jim [Jones], for that extremely generous introduction. You could say between SACEUR 14 and SACEUR 16, you have the “long and the short” of it. Indeed, some would say the procession from Jim Jones, a towering figure, to my -- shall we say more compact -- frame, might indicate a diminishing of the Alliance, but I will try my best to look taller tonight.
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Reflections on Osama bin Laden's Death
It's been a long decade, but a key step in the global effort to end violentextremism has been achieved, executed by incredibly dedicated professionals.
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Efficiencies in Europe: adjusting the US Force Posture
There has been tremendous speculation over the past year about the future of U.S. Force Posture in Europe.
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The Power of Partnering in the Baltics
In early March, we teamed up with Project Hope, a non-profit medical service organization, to work with us and our Baltic allies in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on some of the most relevant, important issues facing all of our forces.
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A Pretty Good Birthday
Along with two of the youngest members of the command, I cut a birthday cake to celebrate the moment sixty years ago, on 2 April 1951, when SACEUR Dwight D. Eisenhower activated Allied Command Europe – the predecessor to today’s Allied Command Operations – and its headquarters, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
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Remembering Admiral Bob Moeller
A very good friend of mine died a few days ago on 29 March: Vice Admiral Bob Moeller, U.S. Navy.
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Odyssey Dawn, Unified Protector? Here's what it means...
Not surprisingly, I’ve received a lot of questions about what is happening in Libya in both my capacity as Commander of the US European Command (USEUCOM) and as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR).
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Advances in Afghanistan
Amidst all the attention, appropriately, to Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Japan, Yemen and other ongoing events around the world, there was an important and noteworthy development in Afghanistan yesterday.
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Strategy at the Heart of the Matter
A few weeks ago, I referred to myself as a “strategist” during a speech. This prompted someone to ask me what “strategy” means to me. What a superb question! So often the word is overused…it seems almost everything is “strategic” these days. And yet, in our business and in my current job, strategy is at the heart of what we do.
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Munich Security Conference Brings out the Stars
There is something of a red carpet, a press of media, crowds everywhere, the buzz of deal cutting and gossiping, all held in an elegant 18th century hotel in the heart of Bavaria.
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A Few Days in Afghanistan
The security situation in Helmand Province was significantly different this month than it was when I last visited in January 2010. I was especially struck by the continued improvement in the performance and size of the Afghan security forces down south. In 2010, there were roughly 10,000 ISAF servicemen and 2,000 ANSF in Helmand Province, roughly a 5:1 ratio. Today, there are 30,000 ISAF and 30,000 ANSF – a 1:1 ratio with Afghan forces increasingly in the lead. Afghan flags fly across the province, schools are open, bazaars are thriving. There is a sense of progress.
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A Few Days in Afghanistan
Last week, I had a good visit to Afghanistan -- three days, including a swing through Helmand in the south.
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Measuring Perceptions
Many of you know how I’ve embraced strategic communication. My appreciation for it developed throughout my career but really sharpened during my time in Latin America and the Caribbean as the Commander of US Southern Command, where we worked all military issues south of the United States.
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Five Great Reads for the New Year
Every year I look back through my reading journal and ask myself, “what were my top books of the year?” and why. Given my current job, some of them may seem obvious choices, but others may surprise. Here they are:
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Dr. Strangelove Strikes Again!
Many of you know that we have a Notable Author and Film series at both my EUCOM and SHAPE headquarters, which allows us to routinely take a step back from our desk work and learn from some of the authors and artists who are observers, critics and practitioners of national security.
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When Cultures Collide
Often, friction is the result of cultural collisions – disagreements stemming from differences in fundamental belief systems, well established processes, and patterns of execution.
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Three Outcomes from Lisbon
We finished the Lisbon summit last week – really a high point thus far in the nearly 18 months I’ve been the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). While not without some challenges, overall the summit must be judged a real success.
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Admiral Stavridis' Thanksgiving Day Message
Admiral Stavridis' Thanksgiving Day Message
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Off to Lisbon!
Currently, 28 NATO Heads of States and Governments (HoSG) are expected to convene at the NATO Summit. Over a series of meetings, our leaders will discuss a handful of issues central to the future security of Europe and North America, focusing on the new strategic concept and its subsequent implementation: crisis management; missile defense; the comprehensive approach; cyber security; and NATO headquarters and command structure reform.
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The Road Ahead
I had an experience last week I never expected when I began my naval career in the 1970s during the Cold War period: a four-day visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg, hosted by the Russian Chief of Defense.
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Admiral Stavridis' Veterans Day message
Admiral Jim Stavridis talks about Veterans Day, celebrated annually in the U.S. on Nov. 11.
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The Importance of Culture
As I mentioned in my vlog last week I was in Bergen, Norway during my official co-hosting duties with the Norwegian Chief of Defense, General Harald Sunde, for the Northern European Chief of Defense (CHOD) Conference. As "The Fjord Capital of Norway", Bergen is often described as "a city with its feet in the sea, its head in the skies, and its heart in the right place." What I didn't mention in the vlog is I found myself in a situation that affected my head and heart before the conference had even begun.
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Admiral Stavridis comments on the Northern European Chief of Defense Conference
Military leaders from Nordic and Baltic countries to include Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and of course, the host country of Norway joined the Admiral to discuss regional issues and challenges that they share.
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Whispers on a Wall
Now, what about that third question, the one regarding career risk? Quite the dilemma, at first blush. I’ve had two “career ending” moments in my 34 years in the Navy, both of which included a tragic, but thankfully incorrect, statement from a 3-star Admiral to a far junior me, “Stavridis, your career is over!” because I took the risk of articulating an idea in print. On the other hand, maybe somewhere along the way someone noticed something I wrote and thought, “Hmmm, maybe that junior officer is worth taking the time to meet with and talk to.” Some of the best career moments I’ve had came in that positive way – and there were many more of them than the negative.
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The Difference a Decade Makes
I spent a fascinating day in Kosovo last week, visiting as the NATO Commander just a few days before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived to represent ongoing US support for Kosovo. In a phrase: What a difference a decade makes.I met with the clergy at Zociste Monastery in Southern Kosovo.
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A Fighting Force & So Much More
The military is occasionally called upon to provide life saving assistance in times of disaster. I’ve blogged over the past few years about our involvement in fires, floods and earthquakes. These disasters, and the military’s role in them, receive much attention. But the military is also routinely involved in capacity building projects which often do not get the same level of coverage.
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NATO's Challenges and Achievements in Afghanistan
Last week I completed my sixth trip to Afghanistan since becoming SACEUR. As always, I was struck by the challenges we face – corruption, ANSF attrition, and IEDs to name a few. More importantly, however, I am encouraged by the progress I saw during my visit and am more convinced than ever than we can succeed in Afghanistan.
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Vitality of Turkey, a Strong NATO Ally
I attended a fascinating event on Friday night in Ankara: the change of command ceremony for the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, the senior military officer in Turkey.
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International Response to National Disasters
As we learn time and again, Mother Nature demands our respect. Although the core competency of militaries is not humanitarian work, we are sometimes called upon to help respond to natural disasters, providing life-saving support to affected communities.
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In Recognition of Ramadan
You may be wondering why the EUCOM commander is taking the time to talk about the significance of Ramadan. I am a firm believer in learning as much as we can about the peoples that we work with and their cultures. It helps us understand each other better and it also brings to our attention key events that we should keep in mind when planning our operations.
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EUCOM Commander & Secretary of the Army met today and started the Army-Navy football rivalry early!
Adm. James Stavridis, EUCOM Commander, and the Secretary of the Army, Mr. John McHugh, met today at EUCOM headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. They took time at the end of their meeting to send this quick message and get the Army-Navy football rivalry started early.
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Why NATO Matters to the USA
Pretty surprising that a Supreme Allied Commander Europe – standing as I do in the footsteps of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, just 65 years after the end of WWII and after 60 years of the founding of the Alliance – would feel need to blog about “Why NATO Matters to the USA.”
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Navy Adm. James Stavridis, EUCOM Commander, Answers Your Top 5 Questions
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe and U.S. European Command, commander, Navy Adm. James Stavridis answers the top 5 questions sent to him on his Facebook page.
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Public–Private Collaboration: The Next Big Thing
Over 25 years ago our defense establishment – pushed by Congress – started the process of creating a “joint” military – where services plan, train for, and execute military missions together. Then about five years after that, mainly because we found we needed better coordination among agencies conducting peace and stability operations, the government started to work on creating an interagency culture and process.
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What’s Working In Afghanistan
Just back from two days in Kabul, and when I think back on the situation a year ago, the progress is very encouraging.
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Memorial Day: A path to service
As Memorial Day approaches, and brings thoughts of sacrifice, it makes me wonder what leads people into the military. It varies for everyone, of course, but in many cases, it is the power of family and community that draws us into the military. Here is my story.
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Rough Waters in the Cyber Sea
Just back from Romania and Bulgaria, two countries that truly support U.S. and NATO efforts around the world. One thing we talked about was the cyber world and the implications for all of our nations.
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Time
We’re scrambling at the moment to figure out a way back to Europe, as an enormous cloud of volcanic ash has closed many of the airports in the region. It makes me realize, again, how valuable time is for all of us. In the end, it is the most important resource we have.
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Headed home after four days in Australia and New Zealand
Headed home over the South Pacific after four days in Australia and New Zealand, strong allies and partners in Afghanistan as part of our 45-nation International Security Force – it was an excellent visit.
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The Loss of a Great Friend
I'm flying over the deep blue of the southern Pacific Ocean -- enroute to New Zealand and Australia for security discussions about Afghanistan -- and I've just learned of the death of Polish General and Chief of Defense Franciszek Gagor, along with the President of Poland and much of the senior leadership.
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Progress Continues in the Balkans
The good cooperation between NATO, the EU, and the Kosovo Police and Security Forces has been noteworthy. I had a chance to observe a very impressive exercise conducted between the three entities against a mock “riot.” The three layers of response (Kosovo Police, EU, and NATO) reacted properly and smoothly. It is clear that coordination between the local forces and the two external agencies are going well, and we’ll continue to improve on it.
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A Week on Capitol Hill
As I told you in my last blog, I spent this past week on Capitol Hill. I testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction (HAC MILCON).
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Off to Washington!
I’m on Capitol Hill next week to update Congress on the successes and challenges of U.S. European Command and the security environment in Europe. As you’d expect, this is a BIG deal for us, and we’ve been preparing for months.
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Visiting our Allies in Western Europe
If you read this blog regularly, you know I am committed to engaging actively and personally around the region to futher our shared security objectives. Last week was yet another busy week of travel in Europe.
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Exploring the "Cyber Sea"
They cyber world really caught my attention about a year ago when my daughter’s Facebook account was pirated and her identity used for a swindle. Ugh!
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Operation Moshtarak
And so began the Afghan-NATO offensive into Helmad province, known as Operation Moshtarak – which translates roughly as “Together.” We are focusing on the area around a town called Marjah, where there has historically been a great deal of insurgent activity and heroin production.
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A Global Force for Good
Just left historic Munich, Germany where I was fortunate to attend and speak at their annual Security Conference.
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Afghanistan: The London Conference
Yet, at the moment, I am thinking about a superb international event that happened last week: the International London Conference on Afghanistan. Last week, I wrote about my last trip to Afghanistan as we prepared for it. The media has thoroughly covered the conference (here’s a sample of recent coverage, based on an interview with me), and you can watch key presentations online, like this one from Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s review of the conference on his video blog. So rather than reiterating what's already been said, I thought I'd share with you some personal thoughts and impressions, and my interpretations of the atmospherics.
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Afghanistan Visit and Way Forward
I came away encouraged and optimistic about our approach.
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Reaching Out to My Team at U.S. European Command
Last Friday I flew to my U.S. European Command (EUCOM) headquarters in Stuttgart to conduct an “All Hands” with the military and civilian personnel assigned to the headquarters at Patch Barracks. The flight from my NATO headquarters in Belgium was an airborne “sleigh ride,” and the landing a bit of a white knuckle experience. However, I really wanted to meet with the team and talk about the “way ahead” for 2010, share with them my perspective, and solicit their feedback.
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Five Great Reads for the New Year
While the U.S. European Command and SHAPE reading lists (available from our websites) provide some wonderful selections, I thought I’d quickly offer five good books that I read over the course of 2009 that relate to some aspect of what we are about these days.
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The Afghanistan Uplift
I've received a lot of good feedback on Afghanistan.
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Thoughts about Successful NATO Efforts in Kosovo
A very full day visiting our Kosovo Force (KFOR) troops.
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The Course for Afghanistan
Yesterday President Obama laid out the strategy for Afghanistan
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The World to the North
I just completed an excellent visit to Canada, our neighbor and NATO partner just north of the United States. As every U.S. citizen learns in elementary school, we sit side-by-side along the longest undefended border in the world, completely at peace with good friends who live in a land of remarkable beauty and culture.
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Your Questions on Afghanistan and Russia
First, let us clearly understand that EVERY nation in NATO is "in the fight" in Afghanistan. This is a committed alliance.
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An Extraordinary Dinner in Berlin
In a small wood-paneled ballroom at the glittering Adlon Hotel of Berlin, a parade of speakers celebrated what is called in German “die Mauerfall” --"the fall of the wall." It came in the 60th year of the NATO Alliance, and was hosted by the Atlantic Council.
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Defense Ministerial
I’ve just returned from Bratislava, Slovakia where the NATO Fall '09 Defense Ministerial was held, followed by an official visit to Slovakian senior defense leaders.
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Three Days in Afghanistan
In three busy days in Afghanistan, I focused on Helmand province and the British and U.S. Marine Corps forces. Over the course of lunch with the provincial Governor - a man in his early 60s and a survivor of many challenging events in Afghanistan - I talked with him about the needs of the district.
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15 Things for Leaders
I’ve now spent over three years “on the bridge” of two very large organizations --- U.S. Southern Command in Miami and, of course, more recently U.S. European Command. As I reflect on my experience, both at this level and really since becoming a ship captain, I have come away with 15 things that have stood kept me in pretty good stead. Some of them I’ve picked up from my bosses along the way, some I’ve discovered through reading biography biographies of people I admire and history of events that have impacted my life and thought, and others are purely my own, often learned from my own failures and shortcomings.
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Balkan Dreams
As I fly back from a three day visit of the region, I certainly had ample opportunity to see firsthand all that he describes; yet today, there seems to me to be real hope in the region for cooperation and security alignment, perhaps for the first time in the more than two millenniums of recorded history.
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Focusing on the Fundamentals
I had a good series of meetings in Lisbon, Portugal on Monday. The gathering in Lisbon was with all of the Defense Chiefs from the 28 nations of NATO. We focused on two key topics for the alliance: Afghanistan and the Strategic Concept.
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Thinking About Afghanistan
In both my U.S. European Command and my NATO “hats,” I spend a great deal of time focusing on the challenges in Afghanistan.
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What Are You Reading?
The idea of the reading list is to bring together a well-rounded collection of works that cover the gamut of history, policy, international relations, political science, biography, strategy, and – my particular love – fiction. It’s not an assignment – it’s a series of well considered suggestions.
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What a week!
I started last week in Lisbon, on the heels of a trip to Stuttgart the previous Friday for staff briefings at European Command (EUCOM) and EUCOM's Annual Summer Reception, which included a spectacular concert with an Elvis Presley impersonator in full U.S. Army regalia!
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Back to sea!
The NATO Sea Day – held only once every two years – was an unqualified success. The object is to bring to sea the key decision makers in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization: the Secretary General and his Deputy; the entire Permanent Representatives from NATO’s decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council (all 28 nations of course have an ambassador-rank official assigned to Brussels); the Military Committee (each Chief of Defense – those of us from the U.S. would say Chairman of the Joint Chiefs – is a member, and each has a full-time, very senior representative in Brussels); and key personnel from the operational staff, i.e. Allied Command Operations / Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
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Touchstones
As I settle into a rhythm as both SACEUR and EUCOM Commander, it’s a good time to reflect on what kind of organization I want to lead.
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Back to Europe!
This is my first blog as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command. I am the first Admiral to assume these two jobs, and the fifteenth officer in a line stretching back to General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
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