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Allen picked to lead NATO, US European command
Gen. John Allen, who has commanded NATO troops in Afghanistan, has been picked to be the next U.S. European Command commander and NATO supreme allied commander in Europe, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday.
Allen would leave his post as head of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and is expected move into the new NATO post in spring 2013, NATO said.
“I'm very pleased to announce that President Obama will nominate Gen. Allen to succeed Adm. Jim Stavridis as commander, U.S. European Command, and NATO supreme allied commander in Europe,” Panetta said at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
“If confirmed, as I expect he will, his experience as head of the ISAF forces will be absolutely instrumental in his broader role and in leading NATO's oversight of the mission in Afghanistan,” Panetta said.
Both moves will have to be confirmed by the Senate.
As head of ISAF in Afghanistan, Dunford would be expected to oversee the drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan ahead of plans to hand security control to the Afghans by the end of 2014.
Allen is planning to make a recommendation to the president about how the drawdown in Afghanistan should proceed from the current U.S. troop level of 68,000.
