USAREUR Units - HQ SHAPE Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe, Rocquencourt, France (John McCulloch) Main gate, Headquarters SHAPE (John McCulloch) Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe, Casteau, Belgium (probably late 1960s) SHAPE Operations Center and the Forward Scatter System (CriticalPast website) 1950 - present (Source: 1998) SHAPE History The Origins of SHAPE Fourteen months after the allies signed the North Atlantic Treaty the Korean war erupted in June 1950, increasing fears of a Soviet attack on Western Europe. The US government was concerned about its European allies' willingness or ability to defend themselves should such an attack occur, because most European countries were in the throes of a painful post-war economic and social reconstruction. Furthermore, in the summer of 1950, the alliance possessed only an extremely limited organisation. No NATO military commanders had been appointed, NATO military HQs or commands established and all the allies' military forces remained under national control. The US took the lead galvanising the alliance.

In autumn 1950, the US Secretary of State proposed to the NATO allies establishing a large integrated military force, consisting of units contributed by individual nations, including West Germany, controlled by a centralized military organisation which would administer and train those forces under a single NATO commander. This was a radical proposal and after some hesitation, NATO Foreign Ministers approved Mr Acheson's proposal, with the exception of German participation. They agreed to appoint a Supreme Commander supported by an international staff. He would be delegated limited authority to ensure that national units assigned to his command were organised and trained into an effective force. In mid-December 1950, the allies unanimously asked President Truman, who agreed to nominate GEN Eisenhower as the first Supreme Commander Allied Powers Europe. Eisenhower was chosen because of his immense prestige and experience as the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War. His wartime experience of the politico-military difficulties involved in welding and maintaining a cohesive multinational military command structure (SHAEF) and force was to stand him in good stead while establishing SHAPE and guiding it through its first year of existence.

Furthermore, Eisenhower, as were to a lesser extent his successors, was the embodiment of American power, political commitment and military presence in Europe. Eisenhower appointed a wartime comrade, GEN Gruenther, as his Chief of Staff, who assembled a small group of US officers in Paris to establish a temporary HQ and establish his new HQ and command. This group of primarily US officers was called the SHAPE Study Group and established itself in the Hotel Astoria in Paris, not far from the Etoile. The hotel was chosen because it was used by a US communications detachment and the site guaranteed the excellent communications required. However, the hotel's location in the centre of Paris caused numerous security problems and it soon became too small for the SHAPE Study Group, let alone the SHAPE staff when they began arriving. One result was that bathrooms were used as strong rooms to store classified information. Several countries were considered for the site of SHAPE's permanent HQ. However, countries in northern and southern Europe were considered too isolated from the rest of the command, Britain was not part of continental Europe - a psychological disadvantage for an HQ responsible for the defence of Europe - and West Germany was not a NATO member and considered too close for comfort to Soviet controlled territory.

Therefore, Eisenhower's staff recommended locating SHAPE in France because it was more central than other contenders. Rocquencourt, France, mid-1960s ( ) Ike's staff selected a site at Rocquencourt in the Versailles suburb of Paris. They did so not so much for the city's renown, but primarily because of the excellent communications it offered. Furthermore, the Versailles area used the same automatic switch communications equipment as the SHAPE Study Group, facilitating the implantation of the new HQ and its vital communications requirements. The site had the additional advantage of being part of the French President's pheasant shoot. In February 1951, the French Minister of Defence approved the site at Rocquencourt as the location for SHAPE's permanent HQ. Buildings were quickly constructed and the new HQ was handed over to SHAPE on 23 July 1951, at a cost of 733 million French Francs. Meanwhile, on 2 April 1951, narrowly avoiding April Fool's day, GEN. Eisenhower established SHAPE.

It comprised 183 officers from 9 nations of the 12 NATO allies, Portugal and Luxembourg sent staff to SHAPE later, Iceland has no armed forces. The predominant nation was the US with 100 officers. The remaining 83 officers comprised 27 French, 26 British, 10 Italians, 7 Belgians, 5 Dutch, 3 Danes, 3 Norwegians and 2 Canadians. The army was the predominant service with 126 posts. Airforce officers occupied 34 posts and naval officers 23. Of the senior posts, the two most influential were SACEUR and the Chief of Staff, both American. Field Marshal Montgomery from Britain was the Deputy SACEUR and British and French officers were Deputy Chiefs of Staff. Of 7 Assistant Chiefs of Staff, 3 were British, 2 French, 1 Italian and 1 American. In 1952, Greece and Turkey, followed by West Germany in 1955, joined NATO and all three nations sent officers to SHAPE, bringing the number of nations represented at SHAPE in the mid-1950's to 12.

One of Eisenhower's major lasting influences on SHAPE was his exhortation that SHAPE staff's loyalty was not to their nation, but NATO and SHAPE. As he explained to Belgian leaders early in 1951 he considered himself "one twelfth Belgian" (at that time NATO comprised 12 nations). Eisenhower emphasised that his staff represented all service and member nations "Here we know ourselves as a single entity in carrying out the objectives of NATO and in building up a strong defence for the purpose of preserving the peace. Actually, for the purpose of operation, we shall set aside our individual nationalities." Eisenhower's Chief of Staff, GEN Gruenther, acknowledged the difficulties involved ensuring that staff served the allied, rather than their national cause, "we consider that an officer who comes to the staff doesn't become so overnight, it can be done in time however..." Casteau, Belgium, 1967 The Relocation of SHAPE from France to Belgium On 21 February 1966, President de Gaulle publicly stated he intended to radically alter France's participation in the Atlantic alliance.

Shortly after, on 10 March 1966, the French government indicated France would withdraw from NATO's integrated military command structure. NATO and other allied military headquarters and installations therefore had to leave French territory by 1 April 1967. The majority of French military personnel departed the various NATO military headquarters by 1 July 1966. However, some French servicemen in communications and support functions remained until 1 October 1966. On 7 September 1966, the SHAPE Relocation Team was established in Brussels to ensure close coordination with the Belgian authorities involved in relocating SHAPE in their country. In mid-September, the Belgian government agreed to build by 1 April 1967, adequate buildings to accommodate SHAPE's immediate occupancy and operational needs, and complete other construction by 1 September 1967.

The Belgian government chose the Casteau site for SHAPE because: it comprised 200 hectares of "terrain militaire", land owned by the state, thereby eliminating the lengthy and expensive process of purchasing land; it could be served by the Belgian air base nearby at Chievres; and it would have rapid access to NATO HQ (which would move from Paris to Brussels) once work was completed on a new autoroute between Mons and Brussels (planned to begin in late 1967). Last but not least, the Borinage region urgently needed "inward investment" to compensate for the decline and closure of its once famous coal mines and other traditional industries. Construction work began at Casteau on 14 October 1966, by a Belgian consortium of Association Momentanee, SOGEMAP-Group, ALPHA-ELECTROBEL-GIBBS and HILL. The first building to be completed was the Communications Centre on 15 December 1966.

When President de Gaulle announced France was withdrawing from SHAPE, the HQ comprised: 1,025 personnel (431 officers, 436 other ranks, 158 civilians); 1,412 support staff., and 344 local wage rate staff of whom 277 were French. The latter comprised gardeners, electricians, drivers, plumbers and painters. SHAPE's relocation from Rocquencourt (on the western outskirts of Paris) to Casteau was conducted in three main phases: the move of a reconnaissance team to Belgium; the deployment of the main staff body to Casteau (staggered throughout March 1967); and the final closure of SHAPE's facilities in France by the "Termination Group". The staff's main objective was to ensure a timely transfer of satisfactory command and control facilities from the old to new HQ. SHAPE staff removed from Rocquencourt all movable items (office stationery and equipment), economically movable communications facilities, and non-NATO funded property belonging to the allies (except France), including national and international stores. SHAPE vehicles, augmented by commercial contractors, were used to transport the equipment and stores.

Classified information was kept in safes and transported by military vehicles under military escort and Gendarmerie convoy. The first equipment transfer occurred on 22 November 1966, when military vehicles moved supplies from SHAPE-France to Brussels for use by the SHAPE Relocation Office. On 29 December 1966, the first communications equipment was transferred from France to Casteau. Official SHAPE vehicles took the following route from Paris to Mons: Autoroute du Nord, N-29 to French/Belgian border crossing at Quievrechain (at which point Belgian Gendarmes took over the responsibility for escorting convoys of classified material), N-22 to Mons and then N-7 to Casteau. A daily shuttle bus service between SHAPE-France and SHAPE-Belgium began on 31 March 1967. The relocation required about 884 vehicle journeys between Rocquencourt and Casteau - SHAPE military vehicles made approximately 340 and commercial vehicles, 354 journeys.

Approximately 22,411 metric tons (or 788 standard modem containers) of supplies, equipment and household goods were moved. On 30 March 1967, the flags were lowered at SHAPE-France, and the next day a flag raising ceremony took place at SHAPE-Belgium. When SHAPE opened in Belgium, all Phase I buildings were complete or ready for occupancy, and all basic utilities operating. At the end of 1967, the cost of construction at SHAPE-Casteau was approximately 1,649 million Belgian Francs (shared amongst the members of the integrated military command structure). The French authorities agreed that SHAPE families could stay in France until the end of the 1966-67 academic year to permit children to complete their studies. By 1 April 1967, 1,935 staff members had left Rocquencourt and approximately 4,000 dependants remained. By 1 July 1967, 415 SHAPE staff - to oversee closing down facilities and negotiate with the French authorities - and approximately 2,000 dependants remained in the Paris area.

Camp Voluceau (the SHAPE Support Group) closed on 8 September 1967, and the last household goods were transferred on 14 December 1967. Hotel Astoria, initial site of HQ SHAPE, Paris (early 1950s) Hotel Astoria, initial site of HQ SHAPE, Paris (CriticalPast website) 1951 On April 2, 1951 General Eisenhower signed the activation order for Allied Command Europe and its headquarters at SHAPE. Supreme Headquarters, Atlantic Powers in Europe (SHAPE) was initially set up in the Hotel Astoria on the Champs Elysées, Paris, France. The site was to be temporary while construction of a permanent facility began in the Parisian suburb of Rocquencourt. Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower, the first commander of SHAPE, arrived in Paris in January 1951 to set up the SHAPE headquarters at the hotel. Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT) was activated in Fontainebleau, France in 1953. On the same day ACE’s subordinate headquarters in Northern and Central Europe were activated, with the Southern Region following in June.

Aerial photo of Camp Voluceau, Rocquencourt, early 1960s ( IGN website , John McCulloch) Aerial photo of Camp Voluceau, Rocquencourt, France, May 1961 ( IGN website , France) 1961 (Source: Email from John A. McCulloch) At HQ SHAPE, 1961-63. I was assigned to the Photo Lab, Bldg 42, during that time. On August 8th, 1962 former President Eisenhower came to SHAPE. Finally, after the speeches and press photographs that August, Ike headed fast, -=alone=- towards his car. I was near the rear bumper and opened the door, then tried to step back - but slammed into the Secret Service bozo and couldn't move! By then all had caught up and one of the other SHAPE photogs took the shot. Thankfully, several saw me try to step away and why I was there - got called to General Norstad's office and lightly 'chewed'! I could only ask if I should have let him open his own door as NO ONE made any move to do so.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't! My main purpose that day was to set up the audio to the SHAPE 35mm film cameras, the two Wall cameras in the center of the press photo, with large white tape on the magazine canisters. After that, I also carried a Speed Graphic to 'get any shots I could.' Somewhere I have both President Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth visiting SHAPE. Have to find them, they're 30x40 mounted, so I'd have to photograph the photographs! Most of the time, as there was NO work for me in my specialty [audio recordist] I worked as a photographer, in the lab, photo supply room or night security photographer. In the latter [a period of about 14 months], I'd come in just before 5 PM, finish the prints in the washer, [develop and print any shots I'd taken that day while out on pass], clean the lab and go to sleep. The Gendarmes would call and wake me if there was a need for photographs [accidents, crime, etc.].

Return from any such call out, develop the negatives, label, print 3 sets, write a report and have it all on the Captain's desk when he arrived at 9 AM. Also put fresh chemicals into the trays and set the coffee going. As it was a 16 hour shift, there were two of us on 'night duty'. We 'worked' Thursday and Friday nights, off the weekend unless we drew the 'Weekend Duty' as all would do in rotation, then work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night. Then OFF on full pass until the following Thursday. Had to call in at 5 PM in case the other guy didn't show [never happened] - so essentially a week on, a week off. Not too bad duty for a 21-22 year old PFC! Page III - 4 (Source: Online biography of BRIGADIER GENERAL WILLIAM E. GERNERT, Air Force website) SHAPE Operations Center (SHOC) After graduating from the Armed Forces Staff College in August 1955, Brigadier General William E.

(Bill) Gernert (1970) was assigned to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe with duty in London for one year and then in Paris where he established the SHAPE Operations Center and served as chief during the center's first two years. NATO/SHAPE Support Group (Source: 80th Area Support Group web site) 80th ASG History The NATO/SHAPE Support Group [U.S.] was activated on 1 April 1967 in Brussels and moved to Caserne Daumerie later that year. (On December 31, 1967, Chiï¿½vres Air Base was reassigned to SHAPE and the Americans established the NATO/SHAPE Support Group (U.S.) there.) The organization is now called the 80th Area Support Group [NATO/SHAPE Support Group]. The commander is both U.S. Military Community Activity, Belgium Commander and the U.S. Community Representative. In meeting the special demands of this international environment, the 80th ASG maintains a subordinate 254th Base Support Battalion in Schinnen, The Netherlands, and an Area Support Team [NATO Support Activity] in Brussels, Belgium.

The 80th ASG also supports communities in the areas of Luxembourg, France, the United Kingdom and northern Germany. 7th Signal Service Battalion 1953 (Source: STARS & STRIPES, June 24, 1953) 7th Signal Battalion The 7th Signal Service Battalion is located at Rocquencourt (near Paris), France, site of HQ SHAPE. It is the largest SHAPE support unit and works with a British signal squadron and a French signal detachment to provide communications support to SHAPE headquarters and staff. The Rocquencourt headquarters is connected by special telephone lines and teletype circuits to many US and NATO military and government offices in Western Europe, including US Navy Hqs in London; US Army Hqs in Heidelberg; Air Force Hqs in Wiesbaden; BAOR Hqs in Bad Oeynhausen (Germany); and the ministries of defense in North Atlantic capitals. Communications with all of SHAPE's sub commands are maintained as well as transatlantic radio teletypes that connect with major military and government offices in the US. There are over 2,000 phones at SHAPE headquarters.

Personnel of the Bn perform a variety of functions:installations, operations, maintenance and repair, cryptography, photography, simultaneous translations (during SHAPE cponferences). CO of the Sig Svc Bn is Lt Col Charles E. Burner. The Bn was formed in Jan 1951 at Ft. Monmouth, NJ; arrived in Paris in May 1951. Later in 1951, the Bn was augmented with a detachment of WACs who serve as telephone operators and clerks. Initially, the Bn was billeted in an old French caserne in Versailles. In Nov 1952, the battalion moved into the newly constructed Camp Voluceau, two miles from SHAPE Hqs. The WACs are billeted in a special barracks next to the headquarters. Related Link Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe - 必应 Sign in Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's Allied Command Operations.

Since 1967 it has been located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons, but it had previously been located, from 1953, at Rocquencourt, next to Versailles, France. From 1951 to 2003, SHAPE was the headquarters of Allied Command Europe, ACE. Since 2003 it has been the headquarters of Allied Command Operations (ACO), controlling all NATO operations worldwide. SHAPE ... (展开) retained its traditional name with reference to Europe for legal reasons although the geographical scope of its activities was extended in 2003. At that time, NATO's command in Lisbon, historically part of the Atlantic command, was reassigned to ACO. The commander of Allied Command Operations has also retained the title "Supreme Allied Commander Europe" (SACEUR), and continues to be a U.S. four-star general officer or flag officer who also serves as Commander, U.S. European Command. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. Home; SHAPE . What is ... (ACO) and its senior headquarters SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe), ...

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (北大西洋公约组织)欧洲盟军最高司令部 supreme allied commander europe phr. 欧洲盟军总司令，欧洲盟军最高司令 supreme ... Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe的用法讲解 德语助手是权威的德语在线词典,为您提供Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe的中文意思,Supreme ... Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Allied Command Operations. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Mons, ... Today SHAPE welcomes its 18th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe S Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons . From 1951 SHAPE was the headquarters of operational forces in the European theatre ( Allied Command Europe , ACE), but since 2003 SHAPE has been the headquarters of Allied Command Operations (ACO) controlling all allied operations worldwide.

SHAPE retained its traditional name with reference to Europe for legal reasons although the geographical scope of its activities was extended in 2003. At that time, NATO's command in Lisbon, historically part of the Atlantic command, was reassigned to ACO. The commanding officer of Allied Command Operations has also retained the title "Supreme Allied Commander Europe" (SACEUR), and continues to be a U.S. four-star general officer or flag officer who also serves as Commander, U.S. European Command. History An integrated military structure for NATO was first established after the Korean War raised questions over the strength of Europe's defences against a Soviet attack. The first choice for commander in Europe was the popular and respected U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower , as he had successfully directed the Allied landings and subsequent march into Germany during World War II, amid many inter-Allied controversies over the proper conduct of the campaign in the western theatre. On December 19, 1950 the North Atlantic Council announced the appointment of General Eisenhower as the first SACEUR. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery moved over from the predecessor Western European Defence Organisation to become the first Deputy SACEUR, who would serve until 1958.

Volume 3 of Nigel Hamilton's Life of Montgomery of Alamein gives a good account of Montgomery's exacting, tireless approach to improving the command's readiness, which however caused a good deal of bruised feelings in doing so. In establishing the command, the first NATO planners drew extensively on WEDO plans and personnel. General Eisenhower arrived in Paris on January 1, 1951 and quickly set to work with a small group of planners to devise a structure for the new European command. The Planning Group worked in the Hotel Astoria in central Paris while construction of a permanent facility began at Rocquencourt, just west of the city, at Camp Voluceau. In December 1950 it was announced that the forces initially to come under General Eisenhower's command were to be the Seventh United States Army in Germany, the British Army of the Rhine, with 2nd & 7th Armoured Divisions, to be bolstered by 11th Armoured Division and a further infantry division, three French divisions in Germany and Austria, the Danish, Belgian, and the Independent Norwegian Brigades in Western Germany, and the American and British garrisons in Austria, Trieste, and Berlin.

Four days after Eisenhower's arrival in Paris, on 5 January 1951, the Italian defence minister, Signor Pacciardi, announced that three Italian divisions were to be formed as Italy's 'initial contribution to the Atlantic army,' and that these divisions would also come under Eisenhower's control. On April 2, 1951 General Eisenhower signed the activation order for Allied Command Europe and its headquarters at SHAPE. On the same day ACE’s subordinate headquarters in Northern and Central Europe were activated, with the Southern Region following in June. By 1954 ACE's forces consisted of Allied Forces Northern Europe, at Oslo , Allied Forces Central Europe (Fontainebleau), Allied Forces Southern Europe (Paris/ Naples ) and Allied Forces Mediterranean at Malta . The initial plans saw the defence of Western Europe from a Soviet invasion resting heavily on nuclear weapons, with conventional forces merely acting as a 'tripwire.' The policy enunciated in Military Committee document MC14/1, issued in December 1952, saw the defence of Germany as principally a delaying action, to allow a line of resistance to be established along the lines of the Ijssel and Rhine rivers.

The conventional forces would attempt to hold this line while the allied strategic air forces defeated the Soviets and their allies by destroying their economy and infrastructure. From 1967 however, under 'flexible response,' the aim became to build up conventional forces so that, if possible, nuclear weapons might not be needed. However it was made clear that first use of nuclear weapons might be necessary if the conventional defences were being overwhelmed. Eventually SACEUR was allocated planning control of a small number of US and all the British ballistic missile submarines, and some 7,000 tactical nuclear weapons were deployed in Europe. Relocation to Belgium One of the most significant events in the history of Allied Command Europe (ACE) was France’s withdrawal from NATO’s integrated military structure. This move forced SHAPE and several other ACE headquarters to leave French territory. France's resentment over NATO’s military structure had been brewing for a number of years, as successive French governments had become increasingly incensed with Anglo - American domination of the command structure and insufficient French influence.

In February 1966 President Charles de Gaulle stated that the changed world order had "stripped NATO of its justification" for military integration, and soon afterward, France stated that it was withdrawing from the NATO military structure. SHAPE and all the other NATO installations, including NATO Headquarters and Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT), were informed that they must leave French territory by April 1967. Belgium became the host nation for both NATO's political headquarters and SHAPE. General Lyman Lemnitzer, SACEUR at the time, had hoped that SHAPE could be located near to NATO Headquarters, as had been the case in Paris, but the Belgian authorities decided that SHAPE should be located at least 50 kilometres from Brussels , NATO’s new location, because SHAPE was a major wartime military target. The Belgian government offered Camp Casteau, a 2 km² Belgian Army summer training camp near Mons, which was an area in serious need of additional economic investment. In September 1966, NATO agreed that Belgium should host SHAPE at Casteau.

SHAPE closed its facility at Rocquencourt near Paris on 30 March 1967, and the next day held a ceremony to mark the opening of the new headquarters at Casteau. The drawdown of the British Mediterranean Fleet, the military difficulties of the politically-decided command structure, and the withdrawal of the French from the military command structure forced a rearrangement of the command arrangements in the southern region. Allied Forces Mediterranean was disbanded on 5 June 1967, and all forces in the south and the Mediterranean assigned to AFSOUTH in Naples. This left SHAPE and Allied Command Europe with three commands: AFNORTH covering Norway and Denmark, AFCENT most of Germany, and AFSOUTH Italy, Turkey, Greece, and the rest of the southern region. The 1970s and After The headquarters' new home in Mons, Belgium, was the center of international attention from time to time as new Supreme Allied Commanders came and went, with one of the more notable being General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. Haig, who had retired from military service in order to serve as White House Chief of Staff for President Richard M.

Nixon during the depths of the Watergate crisis, was abruptly installed as SACEUR after Watergate's denouement. Haig's successor, General Bernard Rogers, became somewhat of an institution in Europe as the former U.S. Army chief of staff occupied the office for nearly eight years; a brief outcry arose from the other NATO capitals when Rogers was slated for retirement by the U.S. administration in 1987. Command Structure 1982 Source: IISS Military Balance 1981-82, p.25 ACE in 1986 had three major subordinate commands (MSCs), one each for Northern, Central, and Southern Europe, as well as smaller commands.

Allied Forces Northern Europe HQ Kolsås, Norway Allied Forces North Norway (Bodø) Allied Forces South Norway (Oslo) Allied Forces Baltic Approaches (Karup) Allied Land Forces, Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland Allied Land Forces, Zealand Allied Air Forces, Baltic Approaches Allied Naval Forces, Baltic Approaches ACE Mobile Force HQ Seckenheim, Germany United Kingdom Air Forces HQ High Wycombe, UK NATO Airborne Early Warning Force, Maisieres, Belgium Allied Forces Central Europe HQ Brunssum, Netherlands Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) Allied Air Forces Central Europe Ramstein, Germany Second Allied Tactical Air Force Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force Allied Forces Southern Europe HQ Naples, Italy Allied Land Forces Southern Europe Verona, Italy Allied Land Forces Southeastern Europe Izmir, Turkey Allied Air Forces Southern Europe Naples, Italy Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe Naples, Italy Maritime Air Forces Mediterranean Commander Eastern Mediterranean Commander Northeastern Mediterranean After much discussion within the Alliance, ACE's three-command system was reduced to two commands after 1996, one for north of the Alps and one for south of the Alps.

The United States had wished to retain three commands, arguing that 'the span of control might be excessive.' It was feared by Pentagon officials at the time that if the two-command structure was adopted, some functions at the MSC level would have had to be moved 'downward' in the new structure. But while the United States eventually had to give in on a reduction to two commands, it was successful in that a European officer was not placed in charge of the new southern command (now Allied Joint Force Command Naples), a move which France and Germany supported. Despite French President Jacques Chirac exchanging letters with Bill Clinton personally over the issue in September-October 1997, the United States stood firm and today an American admiral remains in charge of the Naples command. An early retirement again disrupted the Mons headquarters in 2000 as General Wesley Clark was shunted aside in favor of Air Force general Joseph Ralston.

Although the move was publicly characterized as a purely administrative move necessitated by Clark's approaching retirement and the lack of an open four-star slot for the highly respected Ralston [a reality which would have compelled him to either accept a temporary demotion to two-star rank or retire from the service], Clark's relief has been often seen as a slap at the general on the part of a Pentagon leadership that had been very much at odds with him during the Kosovo war the previous spring. In 2003, a French flag was set up in the SHAPE headquarters in Mons following the return, after almost forty years, of French military officers to the HQ. Fifteen French military officers, including General Jean-Jacques Bart, work there, of a total amount of 1,100 personnel. They are however considered as "inserted," and not as "integrated," as they can not be ordered to move without previous French approval. Structure 2008 Today Allied Command Operations (ACO) is one of the two supreme commands of NATO (the other being Allied Command Transformation, ACT).

There are three main headquarters under Allied Command Operations: Joint Force Command Brunssum, Netherlands Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Italy Joint Command Lisbon, Portugal Between 2003 and 2006, a new category of forces, the NATO Force Structure, was created, principally to improve the flexibility and reach of land forces. The structure incorporates Six "NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Headquarters," and two lower readiness land headquarters, and three naval headquarters are part of this structure. Two other naval headquarters, contributed by France and the USA, are also affiliated to the structure. HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps , in Rheindahlen, Germany which is rapidly deployable within five days, but lacks sustained capability, limited to 30 days in combat. It would be the advance force for the NRD follow on forces. NATO Rapid Deployable German-Netherlands Corps based in Münster, Germany (based upon I.

German/Dutch Corps) NATO Rapid Deployable Italian Corps based on the Italian Rapid Reaction Corps Ugo Mara Barracks HQ in Solbiate Olona near Milan, Italy NATO Rapid Deployable Turkish Corps based on the 3rd Turkish Corps HQ near Istanbul , Turkey NATO Rapid Deployable Spanish Corps in Valencia, Spain NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Greece based on the "C" Corps HQ in Thessaloniki , Greece (redesignated FLR) The Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) headquartered in Szczecin, Poland though not initially part of the NRDs concept, is seen along with the downgraded Greek NRD, as the third echelon deployable force in the NATO rapid deployment capability. Eurocorps HQ, in Strasbourg , France nominally an EU force with technical agreement to NATO. Certification of the following High Readiness Forces (Maritime) Headquarters took place in 2004: Headquarters Commander Italian Maritime Forces on board Italy’s INS Garibaldi; Headquarters Commander Spanish Maritime Forces (HQ COMSPMARFOR) on board SPS Castilla; Headquarters Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces (HQ COMUKMARFOR) on board HMS Ark Royal.

Naval Striking and Support Force NATO (STRIKFORNATO), homeported at Gaeta, Italy, whose lead nation is the USA, is commanded by Commander United States Sixth Fleet, and is also part of the NATO Force Structure. STRIKFORNATO is the only command capable of leading an Expanded Task Force. The final formation is Commander French Maritime Forces, initially aboard the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle but now aboard the amphibious ship Mistral. Island Commander, Iceland, remains in existence as a detachment of HQ ACO, as does Allied Submarine Command, a NATO command based on the United States Navy 's ComSubLant. A special operations coordination centre and an intelligence fusion centre have also recently been formed within SHAPE. As more capable rapid reaction forces were established, earlier 'fire brigades,' including the Allied Command Europe (ACE) Mobile Force - Land (AMF(L), were disbanded; AMF(L) was disbanded on 30 or 31 October 2002.

In addition to this Allied Command Operations has at its disposal standing forces such as: NATO Airborne Early Warning Force (NAEWF) Standing NRF Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) Standing NRF Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) Standing NRF Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) Standing NRF Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) Airlift support for SACEUR's travels is provided by the USAF's 309th Airlift Squadron at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium. Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Since 2003 the Supreme Allied Commander Europe has also served as the head of Allied Command Europe and the head of Allied Command Operations. Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (Deputy SACEUR) The position of deputy head of Allied Command Europe, since 2003 deputy head of Allied Command Operations has been held by the following officers. From January 1978 until June 1993 there were two Deputy SACEURs, one British and one German, but from July 1993 this reverted to a single Deputy SACEUR.

(Wikipedia) Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Wikis Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe: Wikis Advertisements Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "SHAPE" redirects here. For other uses, see Shape (disambiguation) . Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe SHAPE Emblem. Vigilia Pretium Libertatis, Latin for "The Price of Freedom is Vigilance ." Commanders General Sir John McColl , British Army , Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau , north of the Belgian city of Mons . [1] From 1951 SHAPE was the headquarters of operational forces in the European theatre ( Allied Command Europe , ACE), but since 2003 SHAPE has been the headquarters of Allied Command Operations (ACO) controlling all allied operations worldwide.

SHAPE retained its traditional name with reference to Europe for legal reasons although the geographical scope of its activities was extended in 2003. At that time, NATO's command in Lisbon, historically part of the Atlantic command, was reassigned to ACO. The commanding officer of Allied Command Operations has also retained the title "Supreme Allied Commander Europe" (SACEUR), and continues to be a U.S. four-star general officer or flag officer who also serves as Commander, U.S. European Command . The decision to give a U.S. officer leadership of the command stems from early discussions between the most important NATO states, principally the U.S. and the UK, in the early days of NATO during the 1950s. Contents 7 External links History An integrated military structure for NATO was first established after the Korean War raised questions over the strength of Europe's defences against a Soviet attack. The first choice for commander in Europe was the popular and respected U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower , as he had successfully directed the Allied landings and subsequent march into Germany during World War II, [2] amid many inter-Allied controversies over the proper conduct of the campaign in the western theatre.

On December 19, 1950 the North Atlantic Council announced the appointment of General Eisenhower as the first SACEUR. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery moved over from the predecessor Western European Defence Organisation to become the first Deputy SACEUR, who would serve until 1958. Volume 3 of Nigel Hamilton's Life of Montgomery of Alamein gives a good account of Montgomery's exacting, tireless approach to improving the command's readiness, which however caused a good deal of bruised feelings in doing so. In establishing the command, the first NATO planners drew extensively on WEDO plans and personnel. Another emblem for SHAPE, featuring the flags of the full members of NATO. General Eisenhower arrived in Paris on January 1, 1951 and quickly set to work with a small group of planners to devise a structure for the new European command. The Planning Group worked in the Hotel Astoria in central Paris while construction of a permanent facility began at Rocquencourt , just west of the city, at Camp Voluceau.

In December 1950 it was announced that the forces initially to come under General Eisenhower's command were to be the Seventh United States Army in Germany, the British Army of the Rhine , with 2nd & 7th Armoured Divisions , to be bolstered by 11th Armoured Division and a further infantry division, three French divisions in Germany and Austria, the Danish, Belgian, and the Independent Norwegian Brigades in Western Germany, and the American and British garrisons in Austria, Trieste , and Berlin. Four days after Eisenhower's arrival in Paris, on 5 January 1951, the Italian defence minister, Signor Pacciardi, announced that three Italian divisions were to be formed as Italy's 'initial contribution to the Atlantic army,' and that these divisions would also come under Eisenhower's control. [3] On April 2, 1951 General Eisenhower signed the activation order for Allied Command Europe and its headquarters at SHAPE. On the same day ACE’s subordinate headquarters in Northern and Central Europe were activated, with the Southern Region following in June.

By 1954 ACE's forces consisted of Allied Forces Northern Europe , at Oslo , Allied Forces Central Europe ( Fontainebleau ), Allied Forces Southern Europe ( Paris / Naples ) and Allied Forces Mediterranean at Malta . [4] The initial plans saw the defence of Western Europe from a Soviet invasion resting heavily on nuclear weapons, with conventional forces merely acting as a 'tripwire.' [5] The policy enunciated in Military Committee document MC14/1, issued in December 1952, [6] saw the defence of Germany as principally a delaying action, to allow a line of resistance to be established along the lines of the Ijssel and Rhine rivers. The conventional forces would attempt to hold this line while the allied strategic air forces defeated the Soviets and their allies by destroying their economy and infrastructure. From 1967 however, under ' flexible response ,' the aim became to build up conventional forces so that, if possible, nuclear weapons might not be needed. However it was made clear that first use of nuclear weapons might be necessary if the conventional defences were being overwhelmed.

Eventually SACEUR was allocated planning control of a small number of US and all the British ballistic missile submarines, [7] and some 7,000 tactical nuclear weapons were deployed in Europe. [8] Advertisements Relocation to Belgium The NATO logo displayed on a roundabout at SHAPE, 2009 One of the most significant events in the history of Allied Command Europe (ACE) was France’s withdrawal from NATO’s integrated military structure. This move forced SHAPE and several other ACE headquarters to leave French territory. [9] France's resentment over NATO’s military structure had been brewing for a number of years, as successive French governments had become increasingly incensed with Anglo - American domination of the command structure [10] and insufficient French influence. In February 1966 President Charles de Gaulle stated that the changed world order had "stripped NATO of its justification" for military integration, and soon afterward, France stated that it was withdrawing from the NATO military structure. SHAPE and all the other NATO installations, including NATO Headquarters and Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT), were informed that they must leave French territory by April 1967.

Belgium became the host nation for both NATO's political headquarters and SHAPE. General Lyman Lemnitzer , SACEUR at the time, had hoped that SHAPE could be located near to NATO Headquarters, as had been the case in Paris, but the Belgian authorities decided that SHAPE should be located at least 50 kilometres from Brussels , NATO’s new location, because SHAPE was a major wartime military target. [11] The Belgian government offered Camp Casteau, a 2 km² Belgian Army summer training camp near Mons , which was an area in serious need of additional economic investment. In September 1966, NATO agreed that Belgium should host SHAPE at Casteau . SHAPE closed its facility at Rocquencourt near Paris on 30 March 1967, and the next day held a ceremony to mark the opening of the new headquarters at Casteau. The drawdown of the British Mediterranean Fleet , the military difficulties of the politically-decided command structure, and the withdrawal of the French from the military command structure forced a rearrangement of the command arrangements in the southern region.

Allied Forces Mediterranean was disbanded on 5 June 1967, and all forces in the south and the Mediterranean assigned to AFSOUTH in Naples. [12] This left SHAPE and Allied Command Europe with three commands: AFNORTH covering Norway and Denmark, AFCENT most of Germany, and AFSOUTH Italy, Turkey, Greece, and the rest of the southern region. The 1970s and After The headquarters' new home in Mons, Belgium, was the center of international attention from time to time as new Supreme Allied Commanders came and went, with one of the more notable being General Alexander M. Haig , Jr. Haig, who had retired from military service in order to serve as White House Chief of Staff for President Richard M. Nixon during the depths of the Watergate crisis, was abruptly installed as SACEUR after Watergate's denouement. Haig's successor, General Bernard Rogers , became somewhat of an institution in Europe as the former U.S. Army chief of staff occupied the office for nearly eight years; a brief outcry arose from the other NATO capitals when Rogers was slated for retirement by the U.S. administration in 1987.

Command Structure 1982 Source: IISS Military Balance 1981-82, p. 25 ACE in 1986 had three major subordinate commands (MSCs), one each for Northern, Central, and Southern Europe, as well as smaller commands. Commander Eastern Mediterranean Commander Northeastern Mediterranean After much discussion within the Alliance, ACE's three-command system was reduced to two commands after 1996, one for north of the Alps and one for south of the Alps. The United States had wished to retain three commands, arguing that 'the span of control might be excessive.' [13] It was feared by Pentagon officials at the time that if the two-command structure was adopted, some functions at the MSC level would have had to be moved 'downward' in the new structure. But while the United States eventually had to give in on a reduction to two commands, it was successful in that a European officer was not placed in charge of the new southern command (now Allied Joint Force Command Naples ), a move which France and Germany supported.

Despite French President Jacques Chirac exchanging letters with Bill Clinton personally over the issue in September-October 1997, [14] the United States stood firm and today an American admiral remains in charge of the Naples command. [15] An early retirement again disrupted the Mons headquarters in 2000 as General Wesley Clark was shunted aside in favor of Air Force general Joseph Ralston . Although the move was publicly characterized as a purely administrative move necessitated by Clark's approaching retirement and the lack of an open four-star slot for the highly respected Ralston [a reality which would have compelled him to either accept a temporary demotion to two-star rank or retire from the service], Clark's relief has been often seen as a slap at the general on the part of a Pentagon leadership that had been very much at odds with him during the Kosovo war the previous spring. [16] In 2003, a French flag was set up in the SHAPE headquarters in Mons following the return, after almost forty years, of French military officers to the HQ.

[17] Fifteen French military officers, including General Jean-Jacques Bart, work there, of a total amount of 1,100 personnel. [17] They are however considered as "inserted," and not as "integrated," as they can not be ordered to move without previous French approval. [17] Structure 2008 Today Allied Command Operations (ACO) is one of the two supreme commands of NATO (the other being Allied Command Transformation , ACT). There are three main headquarters under Allied Command Operations: Joint Command Lisbon , Portugal Between 2003 and 2006, a new category of forces, the NATO Force Structure, was created, principally to improve the flexibility and reach of land forces. The structure incorporates Six " NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Headquarters," [18] and two lower readiness land headquarters, and three naval headquarters are part of this structure. Two other naval headquarters, contributed by France and the USA, are also affiliated to the structure. HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps , in Rheindahlen, Germany which is rapidly deployable within five days, but lacks sustained capability, limited to 30 days in combat.

It would be the advance force for the NRD follow on forces. NATO Rapid Deployable Italian Corps , Ugo Mara Barracks HQ in Solbiate Olona near Milan , Italy NATO Rapid Deployable Turkish Corps, HQ near Istanbul , Turkey NATO Rapid Deployable Spanish Corps in Valencia , Spain NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Greece based on the "C" Corps HQ in Thessaloniki , Greece (redesignated FLR) The Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) headquartered in Szczecin, Poland though not initially part of the NRDs concept, is seen along with the downgraded Greek NRD, as the third echelon deployable force in the NATO rapid deployment capability. The Eurocorps HQ, in Strasbourg , France, is nominally an EU force with a technical agreement linking it to NATO. Certification of the following High Readiness Forces (Maritime) Headquarters took place in 2004: [19] Headquarters Commander Italian Maritime Forces on board Italy’s INS Garibaldi ; Headquarters Commander Spanish Maritime Forces (HQ COMSPMARFOR) on board SPS Castilla ; Headquarters Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces (HQ COMUKMARFOR) on board HMS Ark Royal .

Naval Striking and Support Force NATO (STRIKFORNATO), homeported at Gaeta, Italy, whose lead nation is the USA, is commanded by Commander United States Sixth Fleet , and is also part of the NATO Force Structure. STRIKFORNATO is the only command capable of leading an Expanded Task Force. [20] The final formation is Commander French Maritime Forces, initially aboard the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle but now aboard the amphibious ship Mistral. Island Commander, Iceland , remains in existence as a detachment of HQ ACO, [21] as does Allied Submarine Command, a NATO command based on the United States Navy 's ComSubLant . A special operations coordination centre and an intelligence fusion centre have also recently been formed within SHAPE. As more capable rapid reaction forces were established, earlier 'fire brigades,' including the Allied Command Europe (ACE) Mobile Force - Land (AMF(L) , were disbanded; AMF(L) was disbanded on 30 or 31 October 2002.

[22] In addition to this Allied Command Operations has at its disposal standing forces such as: NATO Airborne Early Warning Force (NAEWF) SHAPE - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki Advertisements Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "SHAPE" redirects here. For other uses, see Shape (disambiguation) . Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe SHAPE Emblem. Vigilia Pretium Libertatis, Latin for "The Price of Freedom is Vigilance ." Commanders General Sir John McColl , British Army , Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau , north of the Belgian city of Mons . [1] From 1951 SHAPE was the headquarters of operational forces in the European theatre ( Allied Command Europe , ACE), but since 2003 SHAPE has been the headquarters of Allied Command Operations (ACO) controlling all allied operations worldwide.

SHAPE retained its traditional name with reference to Europe for legal reasons although the geographical scope of its activities was extended in 2003. At that time, NATO's command in Lisbon, historically part of the Atlantic command, was reassigned to ACO. The commanding officer of Allied Command Operations has also retained the title "Supreme Allied Commander Europe" (SACEUR), and continues to be a U.S. four-star general officer or flag officer who also serves as Commander, U.S. European Command . The decision to give a U.S. officer leadership of the command stems from early discussions between the most important NATO states, principally the U.S. and the UK, in the early days of NATO during the 1950s. Contents 7 External links History An integrated military structure for NATO was first established after the Korean War raised questions over the strength of Europe's defences against a Soviet attack. The first choice for commander in Europe was the popular and respected U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower , as he had successfully directed the Allied landings and subsequent march into Germany during World War II, [2] amid many inter-Allied controversies over the proper conduct of the campaign in the western theatre.

On December 19, 1950 the North Atlantic Council announced the appointment of General Eisenhower as the first SACEUR. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery moved over from the predecessor Western European Defence Organisation to become the first Deputy SACEUR, who would serve until 1958. Volume 3 of Nigel Hamilton's Life of Montgomery of Alamein gives a good account of Montgomery's exacting, tireless approach to improving the command's readiness, which however caused a good deal of bruised feelings in doing so. In establishing the command, the first NATO planners drew extensively on WEDO plans and personnel. Another emblem for SHAPE, featuring the flags of the full members of NATO. General Eisenhower arrived in Paris on January 1, 1951 and quickly set to work with a small group of planners to devise a structure for the new European command. The Planning Group worked in the Hotel Astoria in central Paris while construction of a permanent facility began at Rocquencourt , just west of the city, at Camp Voluceau.

In December 1950 it was announced that the forces initially to come under General Eisenhower's command were to be the Seventh United States Army in Germany, the British Army of the Rhine , with 2nd & 7th Armoured Divisions , to be bolstered by 11th Armoured Division and a further infantry division, three French divisions in Germany and Austria, the Danish, Belgian, and the Independent Norwegian Brigades in Western Germany, and the American and British garrisons in Austria, Trieste , and Berlin. Four days after Eisenhower's arrival in Paris, on 5 January 1951, the Italian defence minister, Signor Pacciardi, announced that three Italian divisions were to be formed as Italy's 'initial contribution to the Atlantic army,' and that these divisions would also come under Eisenhower's control. [3] On April 2, 1951 General Eisenhower signed the activation order for Allied Command Europe and its headquarters at SHAPE. On the same day ACE’s subordinate headquarters in Northern and Central Europe were activated, with the Southern Region following in June.

By 1954 ACE's forces consisted of Allied Forces Northern Europe , at Oslo , Allied Forces Central Europe ( Fontainebleau ), Allied Forces Southern Europe ( Paris / Naples ) and Allied Forces Mediterranean at Malta . [4] The initial plans saw the defence of Western Europe from a Soviet invasion resting heavily on nuclear weapons, with conventional forces merely acting as a 'tripwire.' [5] The policy enunciated in Military Committee document MC14/1, issued in December 1952, [6] saw the defence of Germany as principally a delaying action, to allow a line of resistance to be established along the lines of the Ijssel and Rhine rivers. The conventional forces would attempt to hold this line while the allied strategic air forces defeated the Soviets and their allies by destroying their economy and infrastructure. From 1967 however, under ' flexible response ,' the aim became to build up conventional forces so that, if possible, nuclear weapons might not be needed. However it was made clear that first use of nuclear weapons might be necessary if the conventional defences were being overwhelmed.

Eventually SACEUR was allocated planning control of a small number of US and all the British ballistic missile submarines, [7] and some 7,000 tactical nuclear weapons were deployed in Europe. [8] Advertisements Relocation to Belgium The NATO logo displayed on a roundabout at SHAPE, 2009 One of the most significant events in the history of Allied Command Europe (ACE) was France’s withdrawal from NATO’s integrated military structure. This move forced SHAPE and several other ACE headquarters to leave French territory. [9] France's resentment over NATO’s military structure had been brewing for a number of years, as successive French governments had become increasingly incensed with Anglo - American domination of the command structure [10] and insufficient French influence. In February 1966 President Charles de Gaulle stated that the changed world order had "stripped NATO of its justification" for military integration, and soon afterward, France stated that it was withdrawing from the NATO military structure. SHAPE and all the other NATO installations, including NATO Headquarters and Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT), were informed that they must leave French territory by April 1967.

Belgium became the host nation for both NATO's political headquarters and SHAPE. General Lyman Lemnitzer , SACEUR at the time, had hoped that SHAPE could be located near to NATO Headquarters, as had been the case in Paris, but the Belgian authorities decided that SHAPE should be located at least 50 kilometres from Brussels , NATO’s new location, because SHAPE was a major wartime military target. [11] The Belgian government offered Camp Casteau, a 2 km² Belgian Army summer training camp near Mons , which was an area in serious need of additional economic investment. In September 1966, NATO agreed that Belgium should host SHAPE at Casteau . SHAPE closed its facility at Rocquencourt near Paris on 30 March 1967, and the next day held a ceremony to mark the opening of the new headquarters at Casteau. The drawdown of the British Mediterranean Fleet , the military difficulties of the politically-decided command structure, and the withdrawal of the French from the military command structure forced a rearrangement of the command arrangements in the southern region.

Allied Forces Mediterranean was disbanded on 5 June 1967, and all forces in the south and the Mediterranean assigned to AFSOUTH in Naples. [12] This left SHAPE and Allied Command Europe with three commands: AFNORTH covering Norway and Denmark, AFCENT most of Germany, and AFSOUTH Italy, Turkey, Greece, and the rest of the southern region. The 1970s and After The headquarters' new home in Mons, Belgium, was the center of international attention from time to time as new Supreme Allied Commanders came and went, with one of the more notable being General Alexander M. Haig , Jr. Haig, who had retired from military service in order to serve as White House Chief of Staff for President Richard M. Nixon during the depths of the Watergate crisis, was abruptly installed as SACEUR after Watergate's denouement. Haig's successor, General Bernard Rogers , became somewhat of an institution in Europe as the former U.S. Army chief of staff occupied the office for nearly eight years; a brief outcry arose from the other NATO capitals when Rogers was slated for retirement by the U.S. administration in 1987.

Command Structure 1982 Source: IISS Military Balance 1981-82, p. 25 ACE in 1986 had three major subordinate commands (MSCs), one each for Northern, Central, and Southern Europe, as well as smaller commands. Commander Eastern Mediterranean Commander Northeastern Mediterranean After much discussion within the Alliance, ACE's three-command system was reduced to two commands after 1996, one for north of the Alps and one for south of the Alps. The United States had wished to retain three commands, arguing that 'the span of control might be excessive.' [13] It was feared by Pentagon officials at the time that if the two-command structure was adopted, some functions at the MSC level would have had to be moved 'downward' in the new structure. But while the United States eventually had to give in on a reduction to two commands, it was successful in that a European officer was not placed in charge of the new southern command (now Allied Joint Force Command Naples ), a move which France and Germany supported.

Despite French President Jacques Chirac exchanging letters with Bill Clinton personally over the issue in September-October 1997, [14] the United States stood firm and today an American admiral remains in charge of the Naples command. [15] An early retirement again disrupted the Mons headquarters in 2000 as General Wesley Clark was shunted aside in favor of Air Force general Joseph Ralston . Although the move was publicly characterized as a purely administrative move necessitated by Clark's approaching retirement and the lack of an open four-star slot for the highly respected Ralston [a reality which would have compelled him to either accept a temporary demotion to two-star rank or retire from the service], Clark's relief has been often seen as a slap at the general on the part of a Pentagon leadership that had been very much at odds with him during the Kosovo war the previous spring. [16] In 2003, a French flag was set up in the SHAPE headquarters in Mons following the return, after almost forty years, of French military officers to the HQ.

[17] Fifteen French military officers, including General Jean-Jacques Bart, work there, of a total amount of 1,100 personnel. [17] They are however considered as "inserted," and not as "integrated," as they can not be ordered to move without previous French approval. [17] Structure 2008 Today Allied Command Operations (ACO) is one of the two supreme commands of NATO (the other being Allied Command Transformation , ACT). There are three main headquarters under Allied Command Operations: Joint Command Lisbon , Portugal Between 2003 and 2006, a new category of forces, the NATO Force Structure, was created, principally to improve the flexibility and reach of land forces. The structure incorporates Six " NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Headquarters," [18] and two lower readiness land headquarters, and three naval headquarters are part of this structure. Two other naval headquarters, contributed by France and the USA, are also affiliated to the structure. HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps , in Rheindahlen, Germany which is rapidly deployable within five days, but lacks sustained capability, limited to 30 days in combat.

It would be the advance force for the NRD follow on forces. NATO Rapid Deployable Italian Corps , Ugo Mara Barracks HQ in Solbiate Olona near Milan , Italy NATO Rapid Deployable Turkish Corps, HQ near Istanbul , Turkey NATO Rapid Deployable Spanish Corps in Valencia , Spain NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Greece based on the "C" Corps HQ in Thessaloniki , Greece (redesignated FLR) The Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) headquartered in Szczecin, Poland though not initially part of the NRDs concept, is seen along with the downgraded Greek NRD, as the third echelon deployable force in the NATO rapid deployment capability. The Eurocorps HQ, in Strasbourg , France, is nominally an EU force with a technical agreement linking it to NATO. Certification of the following High Readiness Forces (Maritime) Headquarters took place in 2004: [19] Headquarters Commander Italian Maritime Forces on board Italy’s INS Garibaldi ; Headquarters Commander Spanish Maritime Forces (HQ COMSPMARFOR) on board SPS Castilla ; Headquarters Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces (HQ COMUKMARFOR) on board HMS Ark Royal .

Naval Striking and Support Force NATO (STRIKFORNATO), homeported at Gaeta, Italy, whose lead nation is the USA, is commanded by Commander United States Sixth Fleet , and is also part of the NATO Force Structure. STRIKFORNATO is the only command capable of leading an Expanded Task Force. [20] The final formation is Commander French Maritime Forces, initially aboard the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle but now aboard the amphibious ship Mistral. Island Commander, Iceland , remains in existence as a detachment of HQ ACO, [21] as does Allied Submarine Command, a NATO command based on the United States Navy 's ComSubLant . A special operations coordination centre and an intelligence fusion centre have also recently been formed within SHAPE. As more capable rapid reaction forces were established, earlier 'fire brigades,' including the Allied Command Europe (ACE) Mobile Force - Land (AMF(L) , were disbanded; AMF(L) was disbanded on 30 or 31 October 2002. [22] In addition to this Allied Command Operations has at its disposal standing forces such as: NATO Airborne Early Warning Force (NAEWF)

Question: SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) is located in which European country?
Answer: Belgium