29 Feb 2016 - Remarks made by Major General David W. Allvin Director of Strategy and Policy for U.S. European Command

U.S. European Command continues to support the defense and security of NATO allies and bolster the security and capacity of U.S. partners in Europe. The European Reassurance Initiative (ERI), part of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015, signed by President Obama on December 19, 2014, included $985 million in ERI funds. These monies enable the Department of Defense to continue its efforts to reinforce America’s solemn commitment to the safety and territorial integrity of our allies and to strengthen the security and capacity of our partners in the region.

I spent much of a day earlier this week 800 miles north of the Arctic Circle, high up on the western coast of the massive island of Greenland – indeed, the largest island in the world -- in the north Atlantic.

Representatives from Estonia, the United States, Canada, and Great Britain have gathered at the Tapa Training facility to build, design and execute an exercise pushing the limits and raising the capabilities of the participating nations’ leadership through war game simulation as part of Saber Strike 2012.

When Eugene Cook jumped into Normandy during the predawn hours of June 6, 1944, he landed several miles from his intended drop zone.

On the morning of June 5, 1944, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious military operation in history. On his orders, 6,000 landing craft, ships and other vessels carrying 176,000 troops began to leave England for the trip to France. That night, 822 aircraft filled with parachutists headed for drop zones in Normandy. An additional 13,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.

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

When boarding possible enemy ships during hostile situations, there is always the possibility of crew members carrying weapons. The U.S. military partnered with other NATO nations to improve on their crew control tactics. Seaman Adam Brock has the story.

Airmen and an Air Force Reserve Command C-130 Hercules from Colorado’s 302nd Airlift Wing left here today and will be one of three Air Force Reserve C-130 wings participating in events commemorating the 68th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion of France.

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.

OEIRAS, Portugal – Vice Adm. Frank C. Pandolfe, Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet and Commander, Striking and Support Forces NATO, commemorated the arrival of the NATO command to its new location during a ceremony here May 17.

The 100th Air Refueling Wing hosted the European Tanker Symposium here May 9 through 11with attendees from Royal Air Force 101 Sq., French air force "Bretagne" Sq., Italian air force 14 Wing, Belgium air component, and the 603rd Air and Operations Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Today, Baden-Württemberg (BW), Germany celebrates the 60th anniversary of officially becoming a state. I heartily congratulate them on this historic occasion.

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.

NATO allies often train together to strengthen their skills and enhance our ability to work side by side. A1C Shane Mitchell tells us about a class in Landstuhl, Germany, that helps prepare Belgian nurses to be ready for any emergency situation.

Service members have a knack for overcoming and adapting. SSgt Nathan Parry tells us how 250 Marines handled training Georgian Soldiers during exercise "Agile Spirit 2012". It meant overcoming the language barrier and a few snags courtesy of "Mother Nature."

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

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.

Often, friction is the result of cultural collisions – disagreements stemming from differences in fundamental belief systems, well established processes, and patterns of execution.

ADM James Stavridis addresses the Center for Strategic and International Studies "NATO Beyond the Lisbon Summit" conference Nov. 29.

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.

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.”

Military chaplains from Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Italy, and the U.S. comprised the group that met at the Italian Air Force (ITAF) Headquarters for the annual NATO Air Force Chaplains Conference in Rome from June 13-18.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Navy 6th Fleet's commander reaffirmed the Navy's commitment to global alliances and ongoing maritime operations, specifically in the Europe-Africa region, during a media roundtable June 14 at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

This military verbal command, which is used to line up troops, is probably still ringing in the heads of the U.S., French, and German military members that lined up side by side in several ceremonies yesterday in the Normandy region of France.

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.