May 2, 2016
By Paul D. Shinkman
Stuttgart, Germany — The U.S. and its NATO allies (click here) are dusting off their old playbooks this week during a trip abroad by Defense Secretary Ash Carter, citing the myriad threats facing Europe as the impetus for the Pentagon's pushing the Cold War alliance back onto a continental war footing.
The specter of Russia to the east will hang over a Tuesday ceremony in which Carter will oversee the change of command for U.S. European Command, based here in Germany. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti will take over the post from Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, moving into a role that traditionally also makes him the supreme allied commander of NATO's European forces.
"This is more than just a change-of-command ceremony," said a senior defense official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity about U.S. policy for Europe and goals for Carter's trip. "[Carter] will talk about Europe and the challenges facing EUCOM. … That means steps that need to be taken to deter Russian aggression."
Scaparrotti, a counterinsurgency veteran of the war in Afghanistan, spent his latest tour leading U.S. forces supporting the South Korean military against the threat of its northern neighbor....
By Paul D. Shinkman
Stuttgart, Germany — The U.S. and its NATO allies (click here) are dusting off their old playbooks this week during a trip abroad by Defense Secretary Ash Carter, citing the myriad threats facing Europe as the impetus for the Pentagon's pushing the Cold War alliance back onto a continental war footing.
The specter of Russia to the east will hang over a Tuesday ceremony in which Carter will oversee the change of command for U.S. European Command, based here in Germany. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti will take over the post from Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, moving into a role that traditionally also makes him the supreme allied commander of NATO's European forces.
"This is more than just a change-of-command ceremony," said a senior defense official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity about U.S. policy for Europe and goals for Carter's trip. "[Carter] will talk about Europe and the challenges facing EUCOM. … That means steps that need to be taken to deter Russian aggression."
Scaparrotti, a counterinsurgency veteran of the war in Afghanistan, spent his latest tour leading U.S. forces supporting the South Korean military against the threat of its northern neighbor....
