Loading AI tools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee (DCMC) is the deputy head of the NATO Military Committee. Originally titled as the Deputy Chairman, the post was redesignated in 2021 to reflect the gender-neutrality of the post.[2]
Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee | |
---|---|
![]() Coat of arms | |
![]() | |
Abbreviation | DCMC |
Member of | NATO Military Committee |
Reports to | Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Deputy Secretary General of NATO |
Formation | 1967 |
First holder | Lt Gen T. R. Milton [1] |
Website | NATO |
The current Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee is U.S. Army Lieutenant General Andrew Rohling. He is the 24th Deputy Chair and took office on February 12, 2024.
The DCMC assists the Chair, advises the Deputy Secretary General[3] and serves as the principal agent for coordination of nuclear, biological, and chemical matters for the Military Committee.[4] Finally, in the Chair's absence, the Deputy Chair directs the daily operations and business of the Military Committee, NATO's highest military authority.[5][6]
The Deputy Chair, always a US general or flag officer, provides a particular and ideal vantage point to serve the Alliance's Transatlantic bond.[7] Having unique and relevant access to U.S. nuclear information coupled with an intimate relationship with NATO's other member states offers distinctive opportunities to provide best military advice, especially pertaining to nuclear matters.[8] While being a U.S. officer, the individual serves in an international capacity to represent the interests of the Alliance.
A Chairman position was initially established without a Deputy, but as the command structure evolved and the demands on the Chairman increased, the need for a Deputy became obvious.
The Deputy's origins come from within the structure of the International Military Staff[9] (IMS) as the 1963 Military Committee reforms provided the Director of the IMS a vice-director who held "special responsibilities for nuclear matters."[10] This office was always an American to link the United States and NATO in nuclear strategy.[10] Two dynamics served as the catalyst to establish the Deputy Chairman position on the Military Committee as it reflects today: 1. When the Chairman was away from Brussels, using a Military Representative within the Military Committee as a substitute proved unviable due to the conflict of simultaneously representing the interests of the Military Committee at large and one's own national interests and 2. the Military Committee did not want to create additional high-ranking officer positions to resolve the first issue. As a solution, the Military Committee elected to eliminate the Vice Director of the IMS position and simultaneously establish a new post of Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee. The Deputy position would still maintain the special responsibility for nuclear matters and remain a U.S. officer as established for the Vice-Director position. The NAC approved the proposal on January 6, 1967, to formally establish the position of Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee.[8]
Since the establishment of the Deputy Chairman position in 1967, there have been 9 from the Air Force, 5 from the Army, 4 from the Navy, and 2 from the Marine Corps. The deputy chairs have been:[11]
No. | Picture | Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | T. R. Milton (1915–2010) | Lieutenant GeneralMarch 1969 | August 1971 | 2 years, 5 months | ![]() United States Air Force | [12] | |
2 | Edward Rowny (1917–2017) | Lieutenant GeneralAugust 1971 | March 1973 | 1 year, 7 months | ![]() United States Army | . | |
3 | Charles S. Minter (1915–2008) | Vice AdmiralMarch 1973 | August 1974 | 1 year, 5 months | ![]() United States Navy | . | |
4 | Richard F. Schaefer (born 1919) | Lieutenant GeneralAugust 1974 | June 1975 | 10 months | ![]() United States Air Force | [13] | |
5 | Martin G. Colladay (1925–2003) | Lieutenant GeneralJune 1975 | August 1977 | 2 years, 2 months | ![]() United States Air Force | [14] | |
6 | George G. Cantlay (1938–1999) | Lieutenant GeneralAugust 1977 | August 1979 | 2 years | ![]() United States Army | [15] | |
7 | Lincoln D. Faurer (1928–2014) | Lieutenant GeneralAugust 1979 | March 1981 | 1 year, 7 months | ![]() United States Air Force | . | |
8 | Sinclair L. Melner | Lieutenant GeneralJune 1981 | June 1984 | 3 years, 3 months | ![]() United States Army | . | |
9 | Paul S. Williams Jr. | Lieutenant GeneralJune 1984 | May 1986 | 1 year, 11 months | ![]() United States Army | . | |
10 | Jonathan T. Howe | Vice AdmiralJune 1986 | June 1987 | 1 year | ![]() United States Navy | . | |
11 | Robert D. Beckel (born 1937) | Lieutenant GeneralJune 1987 | January 1990 | 2 years, 7 months | ![]() United States Air Force | [16] | |
12 | Charles P. Otstott (born 1937) | Lieutenant GeneralFebruary 1990 | June 1992 | 2 years, 5 months | ![]() United States Army | . | |
13 | Norman W. Ray | Vice AdmiralJune 1992 | November 1995 | 3 years, 5 months | ![]() United States Navy | . | |
14 | Nicholas Kehoe (born 1943) | Lieutenant GeneralNovember 1995 | September 1998 | 2 years, 10 months | ![]() United States Air Force | . | |
15 | Michael J. Byron (born 1941) | Lieutenant GeneralSeptember 1998 | April 2001 | 2 years, 7 months | ![]() United States Marine Corps | [17] | |
16 | Malcolm I. Fages | Vice AdmiralMay 2001 | April 2004 | 3 years | ![]() United States Navy | [18] | |
17 | Thomas L. Baptiste | Lieutenant GeneralApril 2004 | April 2007 | 3 years | ![]() United States Air Force | [19] | |
18 | Karl W. Eikenberry (born 1951) | Lieutenant GeneralApril 2007 | May 2009 | 2 years, 1 month | ![]() United States Army | . | |
19 | Walter E. Gaskin | Lieutenant GeneralMay 2009 | August 2013 | 4 years, 3 months | ![]() United States Marine Corps | . | |
20 | Mark O. Schissler | Lieutenant GeneralAugust 2013 | November 2016 | 3 years, 3 months | ![]() United States Air Force | [20] | |
21 | Steven M. Shepro | Lieutenant GeneralNovember 4, 2016 | September 18, 2019 | 2 years, 10 months | ![]() United States Air Force | [21] | |
22 | Scott Kindsvater | Lieutenant GeneralSeptember 18, 2019 | October 1, 2021 | 2 years | ![]() United States Air Force | [22] | |
23 | Lance Landrum (born c. 1970) | Lieutenant GeneralOctober 11, 2021 | September 21, 2023 | 1 year, 11 months | ![]() United States Air Force | [23] | |
24 | Andrew Rohling (born c. 1967) | Lieutenant GeneralFebruary 12, 2024 | Incumbent | 6 months | ![]() United States Army | [24] |
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.