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Admiral James G. Stavridis

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Commander, U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe

Admiral James Stavridis assumed duties as Commander of European Command and as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe in early summer 2009.

Stavridis is a 1976 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a native of South Florida.

A Surface Warfare Officer, he commanded the Destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) from 1993-1995, completing UN/NATO deployments to Haiti and Bosnia, and a combat cruise to the Arabian Gulf. Barry won the Battenberg Cup as the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet under his command.

In 1998, he commanded Destroyer Squadron 21 and deployed to the Arabian Gulf, winning the Navy League's John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership.

From 2002-2004, he commanded Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, conducting combat operations in the Arabian Gulf in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

From 2006-2009, he commanded U.S. Southern Command in Miami, focused on Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ashore, he has served as a strategic and long range planner on the staffs of the Chief of Naval Operations and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has also served as the Executive Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense.

Stavridis earned a PhD and MALD from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in International Relations in 1984, where he won the Gullion Prize as outstanding student. He is also a distinguished graduate of both the National and Naval War Colleges.

He holds various decorations and awards, including two awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and five awards of the Legion of Merit. He is author or co-author of several books on naval ship handling and leadership, including Command at Sea, Destroyer Captain, and Partnership for the Americas about Latin America.


Printable version available here.

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  • October 15, 2012

    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.
  • September 24, 2012

    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.
  • August 21, 2012

    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.
  • August 1, 2012

    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.
  • July 25, 2012

    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.
  • July 9, 2012

    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.
  • June 21, 2012

    How to Brief a Senior Officer

    I was recently asked on-line about "how to brief a senior officer?” Great question!
  • June 7, 2012

    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.
  • June 4, 2012

    NATO: A Summer Agenda

    As NATO finishes up the successful Chicago Summit and moves into the summer months, several key issues are bubbling.
  • May 25, 2012

    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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