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Admiral James G. Stavridis

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Commander, U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe

Admiral James Stavridis assumed duties as Commander of European Command and as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe in early summer 2009.

Stavridis is a 1976 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a native of South Florida.

A Surface Warfare Officer, he commanded the Destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) from 1993-1995, completing UN/NATO deployments to Haiti and Bosnia, and a combat cruise to the Arabian Gulf. Barry won the Battenberg Cup as the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet under his command.

In 1998, he commanded Destroyer Squadron 21 and deployed to the Arabian Gulf, winning the Navy League's John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership.

From 2002-2004, he commanded Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, conducting combat operations in the Arabian Gulf in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

From 2006-2009, he commanded U.S. Southern Command in Miami, focused on Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ashore, he has served as a strategic and long range planner on the staffs of the Chief of Naval Operations and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has also served as the Executive Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense.

Stavridis earned a PhD and MALD from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in International Relations in 1984, where he won the Gullion Prize as outstanding student. He is also a distinguished graduate of both the National and Naval War Colleges.

He holds various decorations and awards, including two awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and five awards of the Legion of Merit. He is author or co-author of several books on naval ship handling and leadership, including Command at Sea, Destroyer Captain, and Partnership for the Americas about Latin America.

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  • December 14, 2011

    Airmen showcase fighter-wing mission to SACEUR, EUCOM commander

    U.S. Navy Adm. Jim Stavridis saw the unique capabilities the 52nd Fighter Wing provides to the European theater of operations and learned about some of the wing’s accomplishments this year.
  • September 20, 2011

    EUCOM commander tours Jackal Stone 11 SOF exercise

    In a special visit to recognize the efforts of the special operations forces community in Europe, Admiral James Stavridis, commander, U.S. European Command, traveled to Romania to see multinational troops participating in the Jackal Stone 11 exercise.
  • May 7, 2010

    Supreme Allied Commander Europe attends seminar in Paris

    PARIS, France -- Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Navy Adm. James Stavridis, attended a think tank seminar in Paris organized by the Institute for Higher National Defense Studies and of Higher Military Training on May 7.
  • February 16, 2010

    Supreme Allied Commander Europe engages Serbian leadership

    BELGRADE, Serbia -- Adm. James Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. European Command Commander, made his first official visit here, Feb. 11-12, 2010.
  • February 10, 2010

    46th Munich Security Conference

    MUNICH, Germany -- Senior leaders, national defense ministers and ambassadors gathered together during the 46th Munich Security Conference to debate current and potential national security issues.
  • February 8, 2010

    Supreme Allied Commander Europe participates in online security discussion

    Flying in a military aircraft on his way to Turkey, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), Adm. James Stavridis logged on and participated in "Security Jam," an online forum, to discuss challenges to international peace.
  • February 1, 2010

    NATO Commander sees pivotal 2010 for Afghanistan

    WASHINGTON -- Just returned from an international conference on Afghanistan, NATO's top military commander expressed confidence that the critical pieces are being put into place to make 2010 a turning point for Afghanistan’s future.
  • January 14, 2010

    Stavridis expects 'significant progress' in Afghanistan

    WASHINGTON -- NATO's top military commander expects significant progress in Afghanistan before the scheduled departure of U.S. troops begins in July 2011, a timeline that he said lends focus to the mission.

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  • January 30, 2012

    Outline shaping up for Chicago summit

    After a busy week of meetings and presentations in London, Berlin, and Washington DC, I am beginning to see the outline of key NATO conversations at the summit in May.
  • January 12, 2012

    Top Five Books of 2011

    I've spent a lot of time traveling this past year, which is a huge part of the job. As a result, I've had plenty of time to read, which is the best way to build intellectual capital as well as learn about other countries and experiences. Here are five books I particularly enjoyed reading this year.
  • January 3, 2012

    Afghanistan in 2012

    The New Year is unfolding, and I'm thinking about Afghanistan. I think there are three keys to our success in the security sector, where NATO and the International Coalition have the largest share of the work to do.
  • December 20, 2011

    NATO in 2011 – Five Key Events

    As I look back on 2011, I think we had a reasonably good year in the operational sense. Lots of good “end of the year” retrospectives are appearing in various magazines and on-line sites, and I thought I’d chip in with my own top five operational moments for the Alliance this past year – and a hope that it stays at least relatively quiet between now and the end of the year.Stavridis
  • December 5, 2011

    Three Failures and What I Learned From Each …

    I was speaking this past fall to a group of Cadets and Midshipmen, young college students bound for military careers. They asked me to talk a little about my career and what I’d learned along the way. After pausing and thinking for a minute, I realized the three events that swam into focus were all moments of failure. Yet from each of them I learned something valuable that I still carry around in my mind.
  • November 9, 2011

    Interacting with AID

    At the invitation of my good friend and colleague, AID Administrator Raj Shah, I had the chance to speak to his senior team about their extraordinary work on global issues of poverty, disease, and economic development.
  • October 29, 2011

    Security and Literacy: Improving and Intertwined in Afghanistan

    I just attended literacy training -- in Wardak Province, Afghanistan.
  • October 21, 2011

    A few words on Human Rights...

    I recently was lucky enough to win the Athenagoras Human Rights Award, presented annually for exemplifying “concern for the basic rights and religious freedom of all people.” Past winners have included Presidents Bush and Carter, Mother Theresa, Bishop Tutu, and many world religious leaders over the past twenty years.
  • October 12, 2011

    Developing a True Strategic Partnership with Russia

    My visit was part of NATO’s outreach and desire to develop a “true strategic partnership with Russia,” as it says in the Strategic Concept approved at the Lisbon Summit last fall. In my role as the Supreme Allied Commander, I continue to search for zones of cooperation with the Russian military.
  • October 4, 2011

    Briefing the Ministers …

    This coming week, the 28 Ministers of Defense of the NATO alliance will gather in Brussels for meetings and discussions. They will be accompanied by another 22 Ministers from additional troop contributing nations in Afghanistan — in essence, the entire coalition will be represented.

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