US admiral appointed new NATO commander

BRUSSELS — A U.S. Navy officer who advocates a combination of military and diplomatic power to secure strategic goals has been formally appointed as NATO’s top military commander, the alliance said Tuesday.

U.S. Adm. James G. Stavridis, who currently heads the U.S. Southern Command, replaces Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock.

Stavridis has gained a reputation as an outspoken backer of “smart power” — the combination of military power and the ability to persuade through diplomacy, aid, ideas and trade.

The announcement by NATO’s Defense Planning Committee had been expected since President Barack Obama nominated Stavridis in March to become NATO chief and head of U.S. European Command.

Traditionally, an American officer commands the alliance’s military forces from the headquarters in Mons, Belgium, while a European civilian heads its political head office in Brussels.

NATO spokesman James Appathurau said the change of command was scheduled for July 2.

“Adm. Stavrides comes with a very good reputation and the allies look forward to working with him,” Appathurai said.

Stavridis would be the first Navy officer to hold the posts. He was also the first Navy officer to hold his current position as chief of U.S. Southern Command.

The job of NATO commander is especially sensitive at this stage in the alliance’s 60-year history amid fighting in Afghanistan and while tensions are strained with Russia over plans to expand NATO borders eastward.

NATO currently has about 58,000 soldiers in Afghanistan. Of those, 26,000 are Americans, and 12,000 more U.S. troops are serving under a separate command. Obama is deploying 21,000 additional U.S. forces to confront the Taliban more forcefully, particularly in the south where the Taliban’s roots are strong.

Under the administration’s new strategy, NATO will help train the Afghan security forces, which could grow to as many as 400,000, more than double the current total.

Stavridis, a native of Florida, graduated from the naval academy in 1976. His last sea command was in 2002-04 as commander of the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, which conducted combat operations in the Persian Gulf in support of the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan. He holds a doctorate in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

(sl)