Allied Command Transformation Allied Command Transformation ( ACT ) ( French : Le Commandement allié Transformation ) is a NATO military command , which was formed in 2003 after North Atlantic Treaty Organisation restructuring . It is intended to lead military transformation of alliance forces and capabilities , using new concepts such as the NATO Response Force and new doctrines in order to improve the alliance ' s military effectiveness . Since France rejoined the NATO Command Structure in mid - 2009 , a significant change took place where the SACT is now is a French officer . The first French Officer to serve as SACT was French Air Force General , Stephane Abrial , ( 2009 - 2012 ) History . Allied Command Atlantic 1952 to 2003 . Allied Command Transformation was preceded by Allied Command Atlantic ( ACLANT ) established in 1952 under the overall command of Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic ( SACLANT ) , with its headquarters at Norfolk , Virginia . ACLANT ' s purpose was to guard the Sea lines of communication between North America and Europe in order to reinforce the European countries of NATO with U . S . troops and supplies in the event of a Soviet / Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe . Following the end of the Cold War , the Command was reduced , with many of its subordinate headquarters spread across the Atlantic area losing their NATO status and funding . However , the basic structure remained in place until the Prague Summit in the Czech Republic in 2002 . This led to ACLANT being decommissioned effective 19 June 2003 , and a new Allied Command Transformation being established as its successor . Admiral Edmund P . Giambastiani Jr . US Navy became the last SACLANT on 2 October 2002 . He served as ACLANT commander until 19 Jun 2003 . He then served as Supreme Allied Commander , Transformation , until 1 Aug 2005 . Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope RN , the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander , then served as Acting Supreme Allied Commander until the arrival of General Lance L . Smith USAF in November 2005 . After the Cold War . At the 2002 Prague Summit , it was decided that NATO should change its military structures and concepts , and acquire new types of equipment to face the operational challenges of coalition warfare against the threats of the new millennium . Thus NATO ’ s military command structure was reorganized with a focus on becoming leaner and more efficient , focusing one strategic command , Allied Command Transformation ( ACT ) , on transforming NATO , while focusing NATO ' s other strategic command on NATO ’ s operations Allied Command Operations ( ACO / SHAPE ) . ACT was formally established on June 19 , 2003 . In the wake of expanding NATO missions and areas of operations , the Cold War alliance has undertaken efforts to change and transform to meet contemporary threats to member nations . One such method called , " Baseline for Rapid Iterative Transformational Experimentation " ( BRITE ) develops new NATO capabilities . A suite of BRITE applications has been designed in response to the Maritime Situational Awareness request . This request , a product of a U . S . international and inter agency initiative termed " Maritime Domain Awareness , " serves to counter threats to the contest maritime commons including terrorism , human / drug smuggling , piracy , and espionage . Since Allied Command Atlantic became Allied Command Transformation , commanders have included non - naval officers . Gen . Lance L . Smith USAF commanded ACT from 10 Nov 2005 until 9 Nov 2007 . He was succeeded by Gen . James N . Mattis USMC , who served from 9 Nov 2007 - 08 Sep 2009 . A significant change was the assumption of command by a French officer , after France rejoined the NATO Command Structure in mid - 2009 . General Stéphane Abrial , former chief of the French Air Force assumed command in 2009 . In an announcement on Monday 6 Aug 2012 , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) named French Air Force General Jean - Paul Paloméros the next top official of U . S . and Allied military operations in Norfolk , Va . , set to replace fellow Frenchman General Stéphane Abrial at the end of September 2012 . The Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation position is currently filled by General Mieczysław Bieniek of the Polish Land Forces . He succeeded Admiral Luciano Zappata ( Italian Navy ) , who had himself succeeded Admiral Stanhope in July 2007 . For several years , in a carryover from SACLANT , the Deputy ' s position was filled by a Royal Navy admiral . Stanhope ' s succession by Zappata meant an end to this practice . Responsibilities . Allied Command Transformation ' s current mission is to : A large number of conferences and seminars have been organised by the command in fulfilment of its conceptual development mission . These have included CD & E , a national Chiefs of Transformation conference , an examination of the Global Commons , Law of Armed Conflict , and a Multiple Futures project . Organization . The command ' s headquarters is located in Norfolk , Virginia , in the United States . HQ SACT itself is organised into a command group , the Transformation Directorate , the Transformation Support Directorate , National Liaison Representatives , the Partnership for Peace Staff Element and Reservists responsible to HQ SACT . The Transformation Directorate is headed by the Deputy Chief of Staff ( DCOS ) Transformation who acts as the Supreme Allied Commander , Transformation ’ s ( SACT ) Director for guidance and coordination of the activities of his Directorate Transformation , divided in two divisions : Implementation and Capabilities . Within the full scale of SACT ’ s transformational responsibilities Deputy Chief of Staff ( DCOS ) Transformation assist the Chief of Staff ( COS ) in the execution of his duties with emphasis on deliverables to the Alliance Military Transformation Process in order to enhance NATO ’ s operational capabilities and to meet NATO ’ s future requirements . Implementation Division , led by Assistant Chief of Staff ( ACOS ) Implementation , is responsible for guidance and coordination of the activities of two Sub - Divisions , Joint Education and Training ( JET ) and Joint Experimentation , Exercises and Assessment ( JEEA ) as well as providing guidance for the Joint Warfare Centre ( JWC ) and Joint Analysis Lessons Learned Centre ( JALLC ) , in their efforts to enhance training programs , to path on breaking concept development and experimentation , to develop effective programs to capture and implement lessons learned and to press on common standards . This division probably serves as NATO ' s linkpoint to the annual U . S . - led Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration . Capabilities Division , led by Assistant Chief of Staff ( ACOS ) Capabilities , is responsible for guidance and coordination of the activities of three Sub - Divisions of Strategic Concepts , Policy , and Coordination ( SCPI ) ; Future Capabilities , Research and Technology ( FCRT ) and Defence Planning ( Def Plan ) in their efforts to staff Capabilities , Concepts and Development products . Subordinate commands . Reflecting NATO as a whole , ACT has a worldwide presence . Before the deactivation of United States Joint Forces Command , the two organisations were co - located , and indeed shared a commander for some time . There is an ACT command element located at SHAPE in Mons , Belgium . Additional subordinate commands include the Joint Warfare Centre ( JWC ) located in Stavanger , Norway ; the Joint Force Training Centre ( JFTC ) in Bydgoszcz , Poland ; and the Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre ( JALLC ) in Monsanto , Portugal ; NATO School Oberammergau , other NATO schools , and various Centres of Excellence . These additional elements assist in ACT ' s transformation efforts . Under a customer - funded arrangement , ACT invests about 30 million Euros into research with the NATO Consultation , Command and Control Agency ( NC3A ) each year to support scientific and experimental programs . NATO Centres of Excellence . As defined by NATO , a Centre of Excellence ( COE ) is a nationally or multinationally sponsored entity , which offers recognised expertise and experience to the benefit of the Alliance , especially in support of transformation . NATO has a total of 19 . It provides opportunities to enhance education and training , to improve interoperability and capabilities , to assist in doctrine development and / or to test and validate concepts through experimentation . A COE is not a part of the NATO Command Structure ( NCS ) , but their activities with NATO are coordinated through HQ ACT . NATO library has provided starting September 2011 a special NATO LibGuide on the topic NATO Centre of Excellences Principles : NATO has the following fully accredited COEs : NATO also has three not fully accredited COEs ( Centres of Excellence in Development ) :