U.S. European Command
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The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) is unified combatant command of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of responsibility covers Europe, Turkey, Greenland, the former Soviet Union, except the five central Asian republics and Africa except for Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
It was thus the lead command for potential operations during the Cold War, and also during the Kosovo War. It also controlled the forces flying from Incirlik Air Base during the Gulf War and Operation Northern Watch. Its commander is dual-hatted and also assumes the role of Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) in the NATO hierarchy.
Composition
The main combat power of EUCOM is formed around the US Seventh Army, US Sixth Fleet, US Third Air Force and US Fifteenth Air Force.
The Seventh Army is based in Germany. It controls one corps of two divisions, although for almost all of the Cold War it had two corps and four divisions under its command.
The Sixth Fleet patrols the Mediterranean and thus covered NATO's southern flank and now provides protection to shipping from possible terrorist attack whilst passing through the Straits of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal.
The Third Air Force is based in the United Kingdom, with the Fifteenth in Italy and together form U.S. Air Forces Europe (USAFE). They are now much reduced from their Cold War highs and provide a pool of airpower closer to many trouble spots than aircraft flying from the United States. Also in Italy is the US 173rd Airborne Brigade, reformed in the mid-1990s, that took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq by parachuting into the north of the country to assist Kurdish rebels in the region.
US EUCOM is headquartered at Patch Barracks (Stuttgart-Vaihingen).