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SHAPE
commemorates its 50th anniversary
The Supreme Allied Command Europe (SHAPE) in Casteau,
near Mons, marked its 50th anniversary in a commemoration
ceremony organised on 2 April. The ceremony was held in
the Commemoration Garden of the headquarters and was presided
by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, and the Supreme
Allied Commander Europe, General Ralston. In their speeches,
both paid a tribute to the personnel that had served and
are still serving SHAPE today and emphasised how the headquarter's
role had changed in scope and complexity over the past
five decades.
SHAPE is one of the Alliance's two strategic commands.
It was established in 1951 under the command of US General
Dwight Eisenhower. The Supreme Allied Command Atlantic
(SACLANT), the second of NATO's strategic commands, was
established a year later in 1952 under the command of
Admiral Lynde McCormick.
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