NATO Commanders and structure

On 28 March 2014 NATO's North Atlantic Council appointed Jens Stoltenberg as successor to Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as the 13th Secretary General of NATO and Chairman of the council, effective from 1 October 2014.

In May 2013 General Philip Breedlove (US Air Force) assumed command of U.S. European Command and NATO Allied Command Operations as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).

Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. Commanded by Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) and is responsible for promoting and overseeing the continuing transformation of Alliance forces and capabilities, especially through training and development of concepts and doctrine. The post of SACT was created in 2002, in the overall process of reform of NATO’s command structure. He is one of NATO’s two strategic commanders. The current Supreme Allied Commander Transformation is French Air Force General Jean-Paul Paloméros. He took up his functions on 28 September 2012.

Admiral Mark Ferguson (US Navy) serves as the Commander of Allied Joint Force Command located in Naples, Italy.  In this capacity, he directs a combined NATO staff responsible for planning, preparing, and conducting military operations throughout the Supreme Allied Commander Europe’s area of responsibility.  He concurrently serves as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa.

Vice Admiral Philip S. Davidson is the Commander of the US Sixth Fleet and Commander, Striking and Support Forces NATO; Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe; Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa; and Joint Force Maritime Component Commander Europe. He assumed those duties on 11 October 2013.

Vice Admiral Peter Derek Hudson is a Royal Navy officer who serves as Commander Maritime Command at NATO Headquarters.

NATO Headquarters, located in Brussels, is the political and administrative centre of the Alliance and the permanent home of the North Atlantic Council, NATO's senior political decision-making body – NATO’s senior political decision-making body. The Headquarters hosts over 5,000 meetings every year.

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the Headquarters of Allied Command Operations (ACO), one of NATO's two strategic military commands. It is located in Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons. ACO is commanded by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR, see above) and is responsible for all Alliance military operations.