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SOCEUR to relocate to Mons, Belgium
[SOF News] The Special Operations Command — Europe (SOCEUR) will move from Stuttgart, Germany to Mons, Belgium according to the Department of Defense. In a series of news releases defense officials outlined the plan to relocate 11,900 service members from Germany to other European nations or back to the United States. SOCEUR will be one of the affected units.Defense Secretary Mark Esper stated in a press conference that the proposed changes are in line with the National Defense Strategy (NDS). The move will reduce U.S. military personnel in Germany from 36,000 to about 24,000. The repositioning of troops will begin in a few weeks but it will be a long and expensive process. About 5,600 service members will move out of Germany but stay in Europe. An additional 6,400 will return to the states. Esper is keen to emphasize that this is not a lessening of our support to NATO as rotational troops will take the place of those permanently assigned. The rotational units will likely conduct six to nine month tours in Eastern Europe. The likely locations will be Poland, the Baltic States, or the Black Sea region. The move of SOCEUR to Belgium will place it near Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. The commander of U.S. European Command, Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, stated that "This will improve the speed and clarity of our decision-making and promote greater operational alignment." He also added that a similar relocation could happen for U.S. Special Operations Command — Africa; however, no new location has been determined. NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ) is located in Mons, Belgium at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). NSHQ is under the daily direct command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). NSHQ is the primary point of development, coordination, and direction for all NATO Special Operations activities. NSHQ also operates the NATO Special Operations School (NSOS). NSHQ is currently commanded by LTG Eric Wendt — a U.S. Army Special Forces officer. Posted by: Besoeker 2020-08-01 |
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