The United States will reassign two senior NATO commands to European countries, diplomats said on Monday, February 9th. The move comes as President Donald Trump presses allies to take greater responsibility for their defence.
According to two NATO diplomats, Washington will transfer leadership of NATO’s Naples command, which focuses on the alliance’s southern region, to Italy. At the same time, leadership of NATO’s Norfolk command in Virginia—which focuses on the alliance’s northern region—will be transferred to Britain. The United States will meanwhile take over command of NATO’s maritime forces, which are based in the United Kingdom.
A NATO official confirmed that allies have agreed on a new distribution of senior officer responsibility across the NATO Command Structure. The official said that European allies, including NATO’s newest members, will play a more prominent role in the alliance’s military leadership, adding that the decision relates to planning for future rotations. No further details were provided.
NATO diplomats said that the reshuffling of command posts is likely to take several months to be implemented. One diplomat described the decision as “a good sign of burden shifting in practice.”
The reallocation of NATO command roles comes as Washington has indicated it could reduce its defence presence in Europe to focus on other threats, including China. Despite the changes, the United States will remain central to NATO’s military structure, retaining control of the alliance’s core air, land and sea commands. Washington will also continue to hold the top military position of Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
.jpg){kind=link}