Vice Admiral Charles Martoglio, Deputy Command U.S. European Command, and Ambassador Lawrence Butler, Civilian Deputy to the Commander and Foreign Policy Advisor, present a gift to the new Mayor of Stuttgart, Mayor Kuhn, during their office visit March 4, 2013, in Stuttgart, Germany.

The EUCOM IASF was born of necessity as a response to the Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008. It was organized then by the J9 to better link the geographic combatant commander with the Crisis Response Team established at the State Department.

With decades of diplomatic experience and intimate knowledge of U.S. civilian agencies, Butler is a bridge builder and interpreter who helps EUCOM navigate any political and military issues that arise within 51 countries in the command’s area of responsibility.

Ambassador Lawrence Butler talks Rear Adm. Charles Martoglio at U.S. European Command headquarters, on Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany.

STUTTGART, Germany (April 20, 2012) -- Ambassador Lawrence Butler, EUCOM Deputy to the Commander and Foreign Policy Advisor, discusses regional security issues with Ambassador Judith Garber, US Ambassador to Latvia, during the Baltic Sea Region Senior Leader Seminar today at the EUCOM headquarters. EUCOM hosted the seminar to bring together senior leaders from U.S. embassies and EUCOM to better understand Baltic Sea regional concerns, forge a common approach to increasing regional security and prosperity, develop EUCOM's vision of an agile military organization, and foster an environment with a "whole of government" approach toward enduring stability in Europe.