STUTTGART, Germany -- More than 600 military and civilian leaders from 19 nations across Europe participated in U.S. European Command’s European Strategy Conference and Workshop (ESCW) to engage on a full spectrum of security issues alongside strategic partners in Ramstein, Germany, Jan. 30 — Feb. 3.
The conference’s keynote speaker, U.S. Army Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, USEUCOM commander and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, emphasized the importance of leveraging this forum as an opportunity for leaders to align and synchronize collective efforts to advance the convergence of USEUCOM priorities and planning efforts with those of NATO.
With two days of plenary sessions and three days of focused workshops, this year’s ESCW was held against the backdrop of Russia’s continued brutal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and China’s rising influence across the European theater.
“The bonds between and among our Allies and partners in the NATO Alliance have never been so strong,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Daniel Lasica, USEUCOM’s director for strategy, plans and policy and organizer of this year’s ESCW. “The conflict in Ukraine has only served to bolster our working relationships and our commitment to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic.”
The event also included senior U.S. military and diplomatic officials Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, and Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia.
Like conferences past, the 2023 ESCW, held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, underscored regional cooperation and increased collaboration among USEUCOM stakeholders with enhanced understanding and transparency serving as the hallmarks of those strategic and operational relationships.
Held annually, the conference provides a venue for leaders to address shared challenges and discuss how to improve interoperability.
Discussions throughout the weeklong event centered around deterrence and defense of the Euro-Atlantic, NATO in the 21st century, and strategic planning for the year ahead.
Component leadership also gave presentations on their support to USEUCOM priorities and discussed their priorities for the coming year.
In addition to their interactions at the ESCW, USEUCOM personnel engage with Allies and partners on a consistent basis, demonstrating USEUCOM’s commitment to continued learning and to turning discussed priorities into practice.
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About USEUCOM
U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) is responsible for U.S. military operations across Europe, portions of Asia and the Middle East, the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean. USEUCOM is comprised of more than 64,000 permanently assigned military personnel and works closely with NATO Allies and Partners. The command is one of two U.S. forward-deployed geographic combatant commands headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.
