Looking back to the days of the Cold War when you had a pretty well-defined threat axis, in your view, is this really what’s been the major change since the end of the Cold War?

After 12 years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan and the focus on those areas and conflicts, and with the growing shift in the Pacific, Europe has been seen by some in the past as a transit point or logistic supply point to get to another theater, usually Central Command. What I see changing is there’s a desire by our allies to return to high end warfighting as a result of Russian actions in Ukraine and on the flanks of NATO – that’s number one. Second, I see a recognition of the proliferation of advanced anti-access missile systems targeted on naval forces and, in particular, the proliferation of ballistic missiles. And third is the instability of states and the violent extremist organizations that present unique security challenges to the U.S. and our allies. In the past we didn’t really need to focus on the violent extremist organizations and the impact of these transnational threats to the southern flank of Europe. I think those threats are gaining preeminence now. And I would say that NATO is wrestling with both the Eastern security challenge with Russia, and at the same time dealing with this serious threat on the southern flank. It’s quite a change from the Cold War period.

With Russia, are we looking at sort of a return to the Cold War?

I hope that’s not the case. In my view, and if you were to ask our allies their view, it is that the best condition for the future is a Europe whole, free, and at peace where Russia is a partner, as opposed to an opponent or an antagonist. A lot of that has to do with the decisions that Russia has made in her behavior and actions. What we’re doing on the alliance side is ‘how do we adapt the Alliance?’ What we’re seeing are the new threats presented – the hybrid warfare model we’re seeing out of Russia. I don’t think anyone wants a return to a Cold War, and I don’t think that’s necessary, but I also believe that the alliance has to stand unified and firm in the face of aggressive behavior, and I believe the measures we’re taking are doing that.

In your area of operations, you’re getting some forward-deployed ships that will be here all the time, and you’re getting the transiting ships, and you’ll also have ships that deploy here. Can you characterize the readiness of those ships that are coming to you? The type commanders are responsible for manning and training and equipping those ships; and the 2nd and 3rd fleets have the role of ensuring the ships and battle groups are ready to deploy. So, when you get them, are they ready for what it is you need them to do?

I would give it an affirmative and strong ‘yes.’ What I’m seeing is that the investments we have made over the last few years in getting Sailors confident in their proficiency of firing the weapons in the training cycle, of making the COMPTUEX [Composite Training Unit Exercise]  and JTFXs [joint task force exercises]  more complex is paying off. In fact, we have our allies go over to the U.S. and participate in these exercises and increase their own interoperability. We’re starting to weave these more complex threads into the exercises in the training cycle. Adm. Phil Davidson served here and is now at Fleet Forces Command, and he’s introducing these elements into the training cycle. I’ve been very satisfied with what I’m seeing on the training and the material condition. And the Sailors that I meet are very excited to be here. I think they view deployment to this theater and service in Rota as a great opportunity because of the breadth of the security challenges, and I think they and their families love living and traveling in Europe. I think it’s a great place to be. It’s a very exciting place to be.

You just touched on Rota. What are some of the other key shore installations that you have in your AOR?

Between about 2003 and 2010, we consolidated our infrastructure where we had facilities in northern Europe and the UK, and we’re now at places with both a seaport and an airfield with a logistics center close by. Rota is extraordinarily valuable. It has a large seaport, and an airfield that we can move logistics to and resupply the ships. Sigonella – also extraordinarily important – has an airfield and a port at Augusta Bay nearby. Souda Bay, on the island of Crete, in the eastern Med has an airfield and a naval port. So I look at it as having three airfields that can operate almost like aircraft carriers and that can serve as a resupply hub for our forces. We also have the Marine Special Purpose MAGTF [Marine Air-Ground Task Force] in Moron, Spain, which can flex across the theater. When you look at Africa, we operate from Djibouti, also with an airfield and a seaport for supporting the force. We have at that base over 4,000 people. And then lastly, Naples. Naples is unique because it’s the one place where I have NATO linked together with the EU– there’s an EU commander in my headquarters– and the 6th Fleet and Naval Forces Europe and Africa staffs. Our bases provide us strong access to the theater.

And the teamwork that it took to pull that together in the inter-agency is representative of both the challenges we face, the unique professional opportunities that are here, and the teamwork evident every day on our staff. It’s great to be part of the team in Europe and Africa.

What question did I not ask you that you would like to address?

I’d like to talk about our people. The staff here is terrific, and they are fully engaged with our allies. They are extraordinarily busy, reporting to two combatant commanders and NATO, and they approach their work with enthusiasm and pride. They’re really committed and dedicated. I think they’re having fun being here in Europe and representing the United States. This is unique arena of operating with allies and partners, within an alliance, and servicing two combatant commanders really keeps things pretty dynamic. They recognize that the hot spots around the theater can flare up pretty quickly – things can change very rapidly. So it certainly keeps us challenged and involved. I couldn’t be more proud of the team and the mission. I’ll give you one example. We pulled together a team of professionals to neutralize Syria’s chemical materials this past year. This was an MSC [Military Sealift Command] ship with Army personnel on board operating unique equipment. The mission involved the interagency, DTRA [Defense Threat Reduction Agency] and others in planning to carry out chemical demilitarization. We had part of the DESRON [Destroyer Squadron] staff on board to oversee it; we had our allies providing defense of that ship as it operated; we had our allies provide us use of port facilities to transfer these materials; and then we operated at sea with our allies defending the ship. It was something that was very unique. It had high-level national attention. And the teamwork that it took to pull that together in the inter-agency is representative of both the challenges we face, the unique professional opportunities that are here, and the teamwork evident every day on our staff. It’s great to be part of the team in Europe and Africa.