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1 [1] (June 30, 2026)

handle is hein.crs/goveurq0001 and id is 1 raw text is: U Defense Primer: U.S. European Command (EUCOM) U.S. European Command (USEUCOM, commonly referred to as EUCOM) is 1 of 11 combatant commands (CCMDs) within the Department of Defense (DOD, which is using a secondary Department of War designation, under Executive Order 14347 dated September 5, 2025). EUCOM was established in 1947 and is responsible for the command and control of U.S. military forces in Europe. Organization EUCOM is led by a four-star general or admiral. The Senate confirmed the current EUCOM commander, U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, in June 2025. Since 1950, the North Atlantic Council (the primary decisionmaking body within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO) has asked the U.S. President to nominate an American officer to serve as the alliance's military commander, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), though no formal council resolution or treaty requires the council to do so. The EUCOM commander, therefore, has traditionally had dual-hatted responsibilities (i.e., simultaneously overseen EUCOM and NATO's military operations). All five DOD armed services, as well as U.S. Special Operations Command, provide forces to EUCOM. According to DOD, as of March 2026, there were more than 86,000 DOD personnel in Europe. Mission and Strategc Context According to EUCOM, the command's mission is to deter conflict, maintain peace and security, and provide strategic depth through military operations, exercises and security cooperation with NATO allies and partners. In March 2026 testimony, General Grynkewich stated that EUCOM has prioritized three mission areas: 1) Protect the U.S. Homeland; 2) Project U.S. Combat Power; and 3) Position the Alliance to Deter and Defend. The second Trump Administration signaled a shift in U.S. strategy in Europe in its 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) and 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS). While the 2022 NDS characterized Russia as an acute threat to the United States and European allies, the 2026 NDS described it as a persistent but manageable threat to NATO's eastern members. The 2026 NDS called for allies to take primary responsibility for Europe's conventional defense, with critical but more limited U.S. support. Since 2014, following Russia's invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory including Crimea, EUCOM has focused on deterring Russia and providing assistance to Ukraine. In 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, EUCOM established the Security Assistance Group- Ukraine to support long-term coordination of training and equipping the armed forces of Ukraine. General pdated June 30, 2026 Grynkewich has highlighted EUCOM's innovation efforts, describing the European theater as a laboratory to test new equipment and tactics, with lessons learned from the war in Ukraine spanning all domains. The 2025 NSS indicated that negotiating an expeditious cessation of hostilities in Ukraine was a core [U.S.] interest, in part to reestablish strategic stability with Russia. Area of Responsibility The EUCOM area of responsibility (AOR) encompasses 53 sovereign nations and city states. This AOR has changed over time, including in 2008, when the newly established U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) took responsibility for overseeing U.S. military activities on the African continent; in 2021, when DOD shifted Israel to U.S. Central Command's AOR; and, in June 2025, when DOD shifted Greenland to the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) AOR. U.S. military presence in Europe involves permanent and rotational forces. EUCOM's AOR includes 30 overseas bases that DOD has consistently used for at least 15 years and at which the U.S. military exercises some degree of operational control; there are also 19 other military sites across EUCOM's AOR that the U.S. military has used or to which it has access (see Figure 1). The majority of DOD personnel in EUCOM are stationed in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. EUCOM is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Source: CRS analysis of unclassified U.S. government documentation, updated June 17, 2025. For more information about EUCOM and the methodology used to develop this map, see CRS Report R48123, U.S. Overseas Basing: Background and Issues for Congress. Notes: Some dots may reflect more than one base or site. This map may not show all facilities where the United States has an access agreement with host nations within the selected geographic range.