The Times: US proposes Germany to take over NATO role in Europe

The United States wants Germany to assume command of NATO’s forces in Europe in the future, President Trump’s envoy to the alliance has said — a proposal that stunned a senior German officer and reopened debate over Washington’s long-held leadership role in the bloc.

Speaking at the Berlin Security Conference, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said it was Washington’s long-term “aspirational goal” for Berlin to eventually appoint NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (Saceur). The suggestion generated visible surprise from Lieutenant General Wolfgang Wien, Germany’s representative on the NATO military committee, who was seated beside him, The Times writes.

The Saceur position has always been held by a four-star US general since NATO’s founding in 1949. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first to take the post in 1951, and the role has since been seen as a cornerstone of the US commitment to European defence. Because the commander would oversee any major deployment of American forces, including those involving nuclear assets, successive administrations have insisted the post remain American to ensure direct trust and communication with the US president.

According to the information by The Times, the White House first considered handing the role to a European general shortly after Trump returned to office, but the idea was dropped after senior Republicans — pressed by European diplomats — advised against it. 

The ambassador insisted that “Washington’s support for NATO’s Article 5 mutual defence clause remained ‘ironclad’” and praised Germany’s role in setting the alliance’s new target for defence spending: 3.5% of GDP on military budgets and an additional 1.5% on wider security. He added that Berlin had laid out a roadmap to meet the goal by 2029.

Whitaker described Germany as a “clear example” for other allies and urged European governments to “step up” by strengthening deterrence and backing Ukraine. Asked whether a more militarily capable Europe might be complicated for the United States, he replied: 

“I look forward to the day when Germany comes to the United States and says, ‘we’re ready to take over the supreme allied commander position’. I think we’re a long way from that, but I look forward to those discussions.”

He later added: “Maybe in 15 years, maybe sooner, we [will] have that discussion [where] Europe says they’re ready to take over the true leadership that the United States has published over the last 76 years [since Nato was founded].”

General Wien responded cautiously, saying he was “a little bit astonished” by the proposal. 

“The supreme allied commander Europe as a US four-star [general] is a very, very important position, not only in political terms,” he said. “He has the possibility to directly report to the president of the United States and he has more important things to do in Europe. We Germans are eager to do more … but we should think twice about his position.”

By Sabina Mammadli