The United States will hand over to European officers two command posts of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) – in Naples, Italy, and in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. An army source informed Reuters about this on Monday, writes TASR.
The move is in line with US President Donald Trump’s demands that European countries take more responsibility for their own security. His administration has previously called on NATO, long dominated by the United States, to become “a European-led alliance“.
According to an anonymous Reuters source, European officers would thus take over the command of the Allied Command of the Joint Forces in Naples and Norfolk, which are currently led by American admirals. However, the US would also take control of three commands that are slightly lower in the hierarchybut they have significant responsibility for operations — over the Joint Air Command, the Joint Naval Command and the Joint Land Command, the Army source and another person familiar with the matter said.
“Allies have agreed on a new division of responsibilities of senior officers within the NATO command structure, in which European allies, including NATO’s newest members, will play a more prominent role in the military leadership of the Alliance,” said a NATO official. According to him, further details will be provided later. The French daily La Lettre and Politico magazine reported on the changes in command earlier, Reuters reports.
