First Commander of NATO Ukraine Command Centre Germany Appointed

According to the NATO 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington DC Communique (July 2024),NATO decided to establish the NATO Security and Assistance Training for Ukraine (NSATU) to coordinate its provision of military equipment and training for Ukraine by Allies and Partners.Its aim is to place security assistance to Ukraine on an enduring footing,ensuring enhanced,predictable and enduring support.NSATU,which will operate in Allied states,will support Ukraine's self-defence in line with the UN Charter (international law).NSATU will not,under international law,make NATO a party to the conflict.It will support the transformation of Ukraine's defence and security forces,enabling its further integration into NATO.*The NATO Ukraine Command Centre Germany in Wiesbaden is located within the headquarters of U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAEURAF) and reports directly to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR),currently GEN Christopher Cavoli,U.S. Army.*The new NATO Ukraine Command Centre Germany's first commander is LTGEN Curtis Buzzard,U.S. Army.The Centre is devoted to providing Ukraine the military equipment and training for the Ukrainian Armed Forces it needs to prevail against Russian aggression.Having recieved U.S. Senate approval,LTGEN Buzzard leads about 700 personnel at the Centre.According to NATO:By using military structures,our support will be on firmer footing;will provide more predictability for Kyiv;and will address both immediate and longer-term needs.*LTGEN Buzzard,a man with a broad smile,is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy (West Point,New York).He most recently served as commander,Army Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Moore,Georgia,from July 2022-July 2024.Prior to that,he served as Deputy Chief Of Staff for Operations,Plans and Training of the United States Army Forces Command from January to June 2022,and as the 78th Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point,New York) from June 2019 to May 2021.Buzzard received a B.S. in Economics from West Point.He later received a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Master of Military Science from the Marine Corps University.He then served as the U.S. Army Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington,DC.LTGEN Buzzard served as the 82d Airborne Division G3 and commanded its 3rd Brigade Combat Team.LTGEN Buzzard also served as the Army military aide to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.LTGEN Buzzard served tours in both the Iraq and Afghan Wars.In March 2021,LTGEN Buzzard became Deputy Chief of Operations in NATO's Operation Resolute Support,which trained and assisted Afghan Security Forces;Deputy Commanding General for Operations for U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A);and Commander U.S. National Support Element Command for Operation Freedom's Sentinel.LTGEN Buzzard is married and the father of three daughters.*LTGEN Buzzard's Awards and Decorations include Defense Superior Service Medal;Legion of Merit (3);Bronze Star Medal (3);Meritorious Service Medal (6);Army Commendation Medal (3);Air Assualt Badge;Army Staff Badge;Combat Infantryman's Badge;Expert Infantryman's Badge;Master Parachutist's Badge;Presidential Service Badge;Ranger Tab;and numerous foreign jump wings.

Army 3rd Infantry Division to Europe for NATO Operation

Some 4500 U.S. Army Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division are headed for Europe,or have alredy arrived there,to bolster NATO's Eastern Flank.Members of the 3rd Infantry Division's Headquarters began departing from Hunter Army Airfield,Georgia on 5 September 2023.On 9 September,a change of command ceremony was held as the Army's 4th Infantry Division transferred authority for Poland-Baltic States protection to 3rd Infantry Division,Task Force Marne-referring to the unit's history in the World War I Battle of the Marne.Task Force Marne will serve in support of Operation Assure,Deter and Reinforce,working alongside NATO Allies and regional security Partners to provide combat-credible Forces to U.S. Army V Corps,America's forward deployed corps in Europe,the Army said.Thus Task Force Marne assumes control of infantry,armored,aviation,and logisitics units across Poland and the Baltic Sea Region.Said 3rd Infantry Division commander,Major General Christopher Norrie:Once again,we have the privilege of standing together with our Polish Allies,the Baltic States,and the rest of NATO.We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder against tyranny and oppression,and we pray that this Alliance will continue to be a beacon of hope for all who aspire for freedom and justice around the world.Added Lt.Gen.John Kolasheski,commanding general of V Corps:Your presence here on the Eastern Flank of NATO is essential to gauranteeing a free and open Europe.We will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Allies from across the Alliance during this deployment,which is critical.And should deterrence fail,we will be prepared to defend every inch of sovereign NATO territory.*The Army explained that the Marne Division is the hammer of the U.S. Army's XVIII Airborne Corps,able to raidly deploy,fight,and win against near-peer competitors in large-scale combat operations.The 3rd Infantry Division is the most modernised and lethal formation in the U.S. Army and is fully trained and ready for this important mission.About 4500 Soldiers from 3rd Infantry Division HQ,3rd Infantry Division Artillery Brigade,3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade and 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team are deploying to various locations across Europe to support NATO Allies;deter further aggression against NATO member states;and train with host-nation Forces to build readiness and interoperability.They join about 2,000 Soldiers from the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade who deployed to Europe earlier this year,as well as other U.S. Army units currently serving in Europe from Task Force Marne.To prepare for this mission,3rd Infantry Division conducted multiple complex exercises,modernisation,and a culminating training event at Fort Irwin,California.* Should deterrence fail,US Army troops in Poland would be tasked with keeping the Suwalki Gap open,retired Marine Corps Colonel Mark Cancian,a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,told the Task and Purpose newsletter.The Suwalki Gap is a stretch of rural land on the Poland-Lithuania border that is of great strategic significance.It is the only land crossing from Poland to the Baltic States of Lithuania,Latvia and Estonia.The 3rd Infantry Division troops are joining the approximately 85,000 U.S. Forces already in Europe.The deploying Soldiers represent the U.S. commitment to uphold the principles of democracy,territorial integrity,sovereignty,and respect for the international rules-based order.