NATO MARCOM Commander Visits Norfolk and the Pentagon

The Commander of NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), Vice Admiral Peter Hudson CBE, paid official visits to Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, and U.S. Navy leaders in Norfolk and the Pentagon last week to discuss outcomes of the Wales Summit and the specific impact on the maritime domain.

During the visit to Norfolk, Vice Admiral Hudson met with Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Jean-Paul Paloméros, and his staff, Commander Fleet Forces Command, Admiral Bill Gortney, and Deputy Commander Fleet Forces Command/Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Center of Excellence (CJOS COE) Vice Admiral Nora Tyson, among others.

While at the Pentagon, Vice Admiral Hudson met with U.S. defence leaders, including Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michelle Howard, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Europe Mr. Jim Townsend, and U.S. State Department officials.

Specific subjects of discussion included development of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), or Spearhead Force; operationalization of the Alliance Maritime Strategy; ballistic missile defence (BMD); maritime reform; and U.S. Navy presence in the European Command (USEUCOM) area of responsibility, to name just a few.

“The transatlantic bond between Europe and North America is a critical and defining characteristic of NATO, and is one of our new Secretary General’s three priorities,” said Vice Admiral Hudson. “I had a series of excellent discussions with NATO and U.S. Navy leadership on the western side of the Atlantic that should be of great benefit to Allied maritime operations going forward.”

[mappress]
Image: NATO MARCOM