Philip M . Breedlove Philip Mark Breedlove ( born September 21 , 1955 ) is a four - star general in the United States Air Force who currently serves as the Commander , U . S . European Command as well as the 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe ( SACEUR ) of NATO Allied Command Operations . He previously served as the Commander , U . S . Air Forces Europe which he concurrently served as Commander , U . S . Air Forces Africa , Commander , Air Component Command , Ramstein and Director , Joint Air Power Competence Center . He previously served as the 36th Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from January 14 , 2011 to July 27 , 2012 . He assumed his current assignment on July 31 , 2012 . On 10 May 2013 , in a ceremony in Stuttgart , Germany , Breedlove took over the command of USEUCOM . Three days later , on 13 May 2013 , he assumed command as SACEUR . Biography . Early life . Breedlove was raised in Forest Park , Georgia , and received his commission after graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1977 . From March 1978 and going on for the next year , he was a student , undergraduate pilot training , at Williams Air Force Base , Arizona . From March until august of the next year , he was in pilot instructor training at Randolph Air Force Base , Texas . From August 1979 to January 1983 , he became a T - 37 Tweet instructor pilot , evaluation flight examiner and runway supervisory unit controller at Williams . He then became a F - 16 Fighting Falcon student pilot at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida until September 1983 . After that , he transferred to Torrejon Air Base , Spain , from September 1983 January 1985 , where he was the F - 16 aircraft commander and instructor pilot for the 614th Tactical Fighter Squadron . Breedlove became an air liaison officer from January 1985 to March 1987 with the 602nd Air Support Operations Group , Kitzingen Air Base , West Germany . He later transferred to the 526th Tactical Fighter Squadron , Ramstein Air Base , West Germany from March 1987 to January 1988 . Eventually , he was Chief of Flight Safety , 316th Air Division , at Ramstein until August 1988 . For the next two years , he became first a F - 16 flight commander , then assistant operations officer of the 512th Tactical Fighter Squadron , also at Ramstein . From August 1990 to July 1991 , he was a student at the Air Command and Staff College located at Maxwell Air Force Base , Alabama . Also in that year , he earned his Master of Science degree in aeronautical technology from Arizona State University . Beginning in July 1991 and going to May 1993 , he was the Chief of Air Operations , United Nations Command and Republic of Korea / United States Combined Forces Command , Yongsan Army Garrison , South Korea . Later career . Starting in May 1993 , Breedlove was the commander of the 80th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base , South Korea . This position lasted until July 1994 , when he became a student at the National War College , Fort Lesley J . McNair , Washington D . C . . In June 1995 , he became the operations officer , United States Pacific Command Division , Joint Staff , The Pentagon , Washington D . C . , where he stayed until June . That next month , he became commander of the 27th Operations Group , Cannon Air Force Base , New Mexico . In June 1999 and going to that next May , he was the executive officer to the Commander , Headquarters Air Combat Command , Langley Air Force Base , Virginia . For the next year , he was the commander of the 8th Fighter Wing , Kunsan Air Base , South Korea . Beginning in June 2001 and lasting for the next year , he was the senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force , Headquarters United States Air Force , Washington D . C . From June 2002 to June 2004 , he became the commander of the 56th Fighter Wing , located at Luke Air Force Base , Arizona . Then for the next year , he became commander of the 31st Fighter Wing , Aviano Air Base , Italy . He then became the Vice Commander of the 16th Air Force at Ramstein Air Base , Germany from June 2005 to October 2006 . His next assignment , which lasted until July 2008 , had him as the Vice Director for Strategic Plans and Policy , Joint Staff , The Pentagon , Washington D . C . . From July 2008 to August 2009 , he was the Commander of the 3rd Air Force , located at Ramstein Air Base , Germany . In August 2009 , he began serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations , Plans and Requirements , Headquarters United States Air Force , Washington D . C . On January 14 , 2011 , Breedlove started his term as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force . His promotion to general also was effective that day . In July 2012 Breedlove left his position as Vice Chief of Staff to become commander of the United States Air Forces in Europe . In May 2013 Breedlove assumed command of U . S . European Command and NATO Allied Command Operations as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe . He is presently stationed in Kabul , Afghanistan and is regularly quoted in western media ; in July 2013 , he told the BBC about his views on the longevity of the Afghan war .