NATO to Shift Three Joint Force Commands to European Lead as U.S. Takes Allied Maritime Command
NATO will transfer three crisis‑leading Joint Force Commands to European leadership — the Norfolk command will pass to a U.K. officer (with installation facilities remaining under U.S. Navy control), Joint Force Command Naples will go to Italy, and Joint Force Command Brunssum will be shared on a rotational basis by Germany and Poland. Once transitions are complete, the U.S. will lead Allied Maritime Command in addition to Allied Land and Allied Air Commands, a shift NATO frames as fairer burden‑sharing and which a Pentagon official says was agreed jointly; Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby will attend the NATO Defense Ministerial in place of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
📌 Key Facts
- NATO will shift leadership of three crisis‑leading Joint Force Commands to European officers while the U.S. will assume command of Allied Maritime Command and continue to lead Allied Land and Allied Air Commands.
- Joint Force Command Norfolk (Virginia) will pass to a U.K. officer, although facilities on the broader Norfolk installation will remain under U.S. Navy control.
- Italy will take over Joint Force Command Naples.
- Germany and Poland will share command of Joint Force Command Brunssum on a rotational basis.
- NATO and a Pentagon official described the changes as part of a move toward fairer burden‑sharing and said the decision was made jointly among all allies.
- Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby will attend the NATO Defense Ministerial in place of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — marking the first such ministerial Hegseth has skipped.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Clarifies that the Joint Force Command in Norfolk, Virginia, will pass to a U.K. officer while facilities on the broader installation remain under U.S. Navy control.
- Specifies that Italy will take over Joint Force Command Naples and that Germany and Poland will share command of Joint Force Command Brunssum on a rotational basis.
- States that once transitions are complete, all three crisis‑leading Joint Force Commands will be under European leadership while the U.S. will lead Allied Maritime Command, adding to its leadership of Allied Land and Allied Air Commands.
- Notes that Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, lead author of Trump’s National Defense Strategy, will attend the NATO Defense Ministerial in place of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, marking the first such ministerial Hegseth has skipped.
- Reiterates NATO’s framing that the changes are part of a shift toward fairer burden sharing, and includes a Pentagon official’s quote that the decision was made jointly among all allies.