Trump taps senior Air Force commander for European Command boss

President Donald Trump is tapping an Air Force fighter pilot with extensive experience as a senior commander in the Middle East to be the next head of U.S. European Command.

Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich , currently the director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would also take over as the supreme allied commander Europe if his nomination is confirmed by the Senate. NATO’s North Atlantic Council in a statement Thursday said it approved Grynkewich’s nomination as SACEUR.

The U.S. military’s presence in Europe is under scrutiny, as the Trump administration eyes cuts in the force even as the region continues to grapple with Russia’s war on Ukraine and the wider effects of the Israel-Hamas war.

U.S. warships have been persistently patrolling the Mediterranean Sea to be poised to support operations in support of Israel and the broader effort to secure the Red Sea corridor, where Houthi rebels have attacked commercial and military vessels.

There have been ongoing discussions in the Pentagon about slashing the number of U.S. troops across Europe. The Biden administration poured an additional 20,000 U.S. forces into the region — bringing the total to about 100,000 — to help calm escalating fears among NATO allies that they could be Russia’s next target.

Defense leaders have said there have been no final decisions. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have both made it clear they want NATO to do more to defend its own region and that the U.S. is turning to focus more on China and America’s own southern border.

In his current job, Grynkewich helps to develop guidance for the combatant commands and serves as a key aide to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on military operations around the world.

Most recently, Grynkewich served as commander of Air Forces in the Middle East, including air operations in support of the conflict in Israel, from 2022 to 2023. And prior to that he was director of operations for U.S. Central Command.

He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1993, has served as an instructor pilot and was a test pilot for the development of the F-16 and F-22 fighter jets. He has more than 2,300 flight hours.

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普将任命一位在中东地区拥有丰富经验的空军战斗机飞行员担任下一任美国欧洲司令部司令。

现任参谋长联席会议作战主任阿莱克西斯·格林克维奇中将，若其提名获得参议院确认，也将兼任欧洲盟军最高司令。北约北大西洋理事会周四发表声明称，已批准格林克维奇担任欧洲盟军最高司令的提名。

由于特朗普政府正考虑削减驻欧美军规模，而该地区仍在努力应对俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争以及以色列与哈马斯战争带来的更广泛影响，美国在欧洲的军事存在正受到密切关注。

美国军舰一直在地中海持续巡逻，随时准备支援支持以色列的行动以及更广泛的确保红海走廊安全的行动，胡塞武装分子曾袭击该地区的商船和军舰。

五角大楼一直在讨论削减驻欧美军人数。拜登政府向该地区增派了2万美军，使总兵力达到约10万人，以缓解北约盟国日益增长的担忧，即他们可能成为俄罗斯的下一个目标。

国防部领导人表示，尚未做出最终决定。特朗普和国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯都明确表示，他们希望北约在保卫自身地区方面发挥更大作用，而美国则将更多精力转向中国和美国南部边境。

格林克维奇目前的工作是协助制定作战司令部的指导方针，并担任参谋长联席会议主席在世界各地军事行动方面的重要助手。

格林克维奇最近担任美国驻中东空军司令，负责支援以色列冲突的空中行动（2022 年至 2023 年）。在此之前，他曾担任美国中央司令部作战主任。

他于1993年毕业于美国空军学院，曾担任飞行教官，并参与了F-16和F-22战斗机的研发试飞工作。他的飞行时间超过2300小时。