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Updated: 24-Jun-2003 June 2003

18 June 2003

 

New NATO transformation command established

News
19/06/2003 - ACT
Allied Command Transformation launches new era for NATO
18/06/2003 - NATO
The North Atlantic Council and the NATO Secretary General to Visit the United States to Establish the New Allied Command Transformation
13/06/2003 - IMS
Establishment of Allied Command marks new beginning for NATO
Background
NATO's new command structure
Biographies
Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation
Opinions
19/06/2003 - Norfolk
Ceremony to the Commission of the New Allied Command Transformation
  Remarks by Lord Robertson
  Speech by Admiral Giambastiani, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation
  Media Opportunity
19/06/2003 - Norfolk
Building on Capabilities and Steering Change - Speech by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson at the SACLANT Seminar, Norfolk
Multimedia
NATO's transformation command - Video interview with Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr., US Navy, Supreme Allied Commander, Transformation
High resolution photos of the Ceremony to the Commission of the new Allied Command Transformation
Key links
Allied Command Transformation

In a ceremony held on 19 June in Norfolk, US, NATO’s former Allied Command Atlantic was decommissioned and Allied Command Transformation established in its place.

The change marks one of the most significant milestones in the process of implementing the new NATO command structure, approved by Defence Ministers at their Brussels meeting, 12 and 13 June. The new command structure will be leaner, more flexible, more efficient, and better able to conduct the full range of military missions.

NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson and Seaman Recruit Barry A. Sturgis from Elizabeth, N.J., unveil the logo of Allied Command Transformation during today's ceremony in Norfolk, VA. (Photo by Senior Chief Kevin Preece, UKN)
The ceremony also marked the assumption of command of NATO’s first Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, Admiral Edmund Giambastiani.

The role of Allied Command Transformation (ACT) will be to promote transformation and interoperability of Alliance militaries in order to ensure NATO's forces are trained and structured to meet the challenges of the new security environment.

To enhance the transatlantic link and to facilitate close interaction between US transformation efforts and those of other Alliance members, ACT will be co-located with United States Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.

“ACT will shape the future of combined and joint operations. It will identify new concepts, and bring them to maturity. It will then turn these transformational concepts into reality; a reality shared by the entire NATO Alliance,” said NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson at the ceremony.

A slimmer and modernised structure is a fundamental part of the transformation agenda of the Alliance, as agreed by the Heads of State and Government at the 2002 Summit in Prague.

Lord Robertson and the 19 Permanent Representatives of NATO member countries travelled to Norfolk to take part in the ceremony and the ACT Seminar 2003 “Building on Capabilities and Steering Change”.