SecDef Sets Forth Strategy at EUCOM Change of Command Ceremony

General Curtis M. Scaparrotti,US Army,assumed command of US European Command on 3 May in Stuttgart,Germany and NATO forces as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) on 4 May in Mons,Belgium.He replaces General Philip Breedlove who is retiring after three years in the conjointly held posts.Described as being intelligent,deliberate and personable,General Scaparrotti has previously held commands in Iraq,Afghanistan,the Pentagon and the Republic of Korea.*
At the EUCOM change of command ceremony at Stuttgart's Patch Barracks,US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter described the US view of the challenges faced by NATO and the steps being taken to address them.EUCOM covers 51 countries in Europe and Eurasia,including Israel,Afghanistan and the NATO allies.
Under General Breedlove's leadership,Mr.Carter said,NATO forces have been writing a new playbook.They've been innovating to counter new challenges like cyber and hybrid warfare;integrating conventional and nuclear deterrence;and adjusting our posture and presence so that we can be more agile in responding to new threats.The NATO force that General Breedlove leaves behind is stronger than the one he inherited.*
We haven't had to prioritise deterrence on NATO's Eastern Flank for the past 25 years;but while I wish it were otherwise,now we have to,despite the progress that we've made together since the end of the Cold War.We must demonstrate to potential foes that,if they start a war,we have the capabilities and capacity to ensure they regret it;because for a force to deter a conflict,it must show that it can dominate a conflict.*
Russia has appeared in recent years intent to erode the principled international order that has served us,our friends and allies,the international community,and Russia itself,so well for so long.Russia continues to violate the territorial integrity of Ukraine,Georgia and Moldova,and actively seeks to intimidate its Baltic neighbours.At sea and on land,in the air and space and cyberspace,Russian actors have engaged in challenging international norms-and,most disturbing,Moscow's nuclear sabre-rattling raises troubling questions about Russian commitment to strategic stability;their respect for norms against the use of nuclear weapons;and whether they respect the profound caution that nuclear age leaders showed with respect to the brandishing of nuclear weapons.*
In response,the US is taking a strong and balanced approach to counter Russia's aggression.We're strengthening our capabilities,our posture,our investments,our plans and our allies and partners,all without closing the door to working with Russia where our interests align,and we will continue to make clear that Russia's aggressive actions only serve to further its isolation and unite our alliance.Since Russia began its illegal attempt to annex Crimea a little over two years ago,the US has made valuable investments in reinforcing our NATO allies.For example,we're contributing to NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF),and stepping up our training and exercises under Operation Atlantic Resolve.
Our recent budget submission builds on that significantly.To further reinforce our NATO allies and build our deterrence posture in the face of Russia's aggression,this budget significantly increases funding for our European Reassurance Initiative,making a total investment of 3.4 billion dollars for this year,fiscal year 2017,which more than quadruples the amount we requested last year.This will allow us to increase the amount of warfighting equipment as well as the number of US forces,including reserve forces,rotating through Europe to engage with friends and allies.This increase supports head-to-toe rotations that maintain the persistent presence of an Armoured Brigade Combat Team,which will give us a total of three BCTs continuously present in Europe.It supports more training and exercises with our European allies and friends.It supports more warfighting gear,including forward-stationing equipment for an additional Armoured Brigade Combat Team by the end of 2017.It also supports the pre-positioning of equipment for a division headquarters and other enablers in Europe,such as this equipment,and along with assigned Army Airborne and Stryker Brigade Combat Teams,and Marine Corps heavy vehicles and equipment already in Europe.
All this will allow us to rapidly form a highly capable combined arms ground force of division-plus strength that can respond theatre-wide if necessary-and it helps strengthen our regional air superiority posture,among other things allowing us to keep an additional F-15C tactical fighter squadron based in Europe,and also improve airfield infrastructure to enhance operations for Air Force fighters and Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft-all this to reinforce our enduring commitment to the security of our European partners.
Our budget also reflects how we're doing more in more ways with our NATO allies given increased Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic.It includes building toward a continuous arc of highly capable Maritime Patrol Aircraft operating over the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap and Norway's North Cape.It also includes delivering Europe's first stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to our British allies and,given Russia's use of hybrid warfare,as exemplified by the so-called "little green men" in Ukraine,we're investing in more rotational presence of US Special Operations Forces exercising and training here in Europe.And,as we look to address the threats of the future as well as today,we're making significant investments in new technology-and when coupled with revised operational concepts,these technologies will ensure that we can deter and if necessary win a high-end conventional fight in an Anti-Access Area Denial environment across all domains and warfighting areas:air,land,sea,space,cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum.
These include new unmanned systems;enhanced ground-based air and missile defences;new long-range anti-ship weapons;the Long Range Strike Bomber;and also innovations in technologies like the electromagnetic rail gun;lasers;and new systems for Electronic Warfare;space and cyberspace.Finally,our budget also invests in modernising our nuclear deterrent.With these commitments,we will continue to build our capacity to deter a potential adversary like Russia,Mr.Carter stated in Stuttgart,Germany.