Sensitive Moment: NATO Adjusts Military Command Authority

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] According to a report by AFP on the 10th, the United States plans to transfer command of two key NATO joint commands to its European allies, a move seen as Washington's latest effort to encourage Europe to take on more defense responsibilities.

Informed diplomatic sources revealed that the U.S. plans to hand over the joint command based in Naples, Italy, which is responsible for NATO's southern flank, to Italy; the joint command located in Norfolk, Virginia, responsible for northern flank defense, will be transferred to the United Kingdom. Both commands are currently led by U.S. military generals. A NATO official confirmed that NATO member countries have reached an agreement on the new allocation of senior military officer responsibilities within the NATO command structure, stating that "European allies, including the newest member states, will play a more prominent role in the alliance's military leadership."

Analysts say that while the adjustment of command authority will take months to implement, it marks a shift from rhetoric to reality in the burden-sharing of defense responsibilities between the U.S. and Europe under the NATO framework. Currently, U.S. commanders still control NATO's core land, sea, and air operational commands and continue to hold the highest military position—Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Against the backdrop of repeated U.S. government questioning of NATO's value, claims that the U.S. must control Greenland, and even threats to reduce the size of U.S. forces stationed in Europe, this move is seen by some diplomats as a positive signal of "burden shifting."

Public information shows that at the strategic command level, NATO has two highest military commands: one is the Allied Command Operations located in Mons, Belgium, responsible for commanding all ongoing NATO military operations, led by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe; the other is the Allied Command Transformation based in Norfolk, Virginia, primarily responsible for military reform, capability building, and other tasks. At the operational level, the Allied Command Operations oversees three joint force commands, each responsible for specific military operations by geographic area. The commands that the U.S. is preparing to transfer command of belong to this level.

In addition, NATO also has functional commands for air, naval, and land forces, responsible for the coordination, training, and operational readiness of each service branch. These commands are unified under the command of the joint force commands as needed during crises or wartime. (Yue Chao)