Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) conducted a change of command ceremony at Northwood to mark the change of senior leadership at the command.
General Tod D. Wolters, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, presided over the ceremony as Vice Admiral Keith E. Blount assumed Command of Allied Maritime Command from Vice Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone.
Vice Admiral Johnstone said in a news release:
“We’ve changed the very heart of NATO. At MARCOM and right across the maritime enterprise, we now focus on operations.”
According to a NATO news release:
“As part of the NATO Command Structure Adaptation, MARCOM is being augmented, reorganized and empowered to lead robust maritime operations theatre-wide, The new MARCOM is always NATO’s Maritime Theatre Component Commander (MTCC) and when called upon and serves as a Maritime Component Commander (MCC) for specific operations. MARCOM has been recognized as the central hub for NATO maritime operations, playing a key role in the Alliance’s deterrent posture at sea, commanding NATO’s maritime forward presence, coordinating
Allied maritime assets and expanding the agility and usability of the Standing Naval Forces. Over the last three years, MARCOM has driven the reform of Standing Naval Force deployments, increasing flexibility and adaptability in ship schedules to meet the emerging and often short-notice requirements of NATO and Nations.”
Vice Admiral Blount is assuming command and will lead MARCOM as it takes on full operational capability as NATO’s Maritime Theatre Component Commander.
As is always the case, the Commander of MARCOM is British , and usually duel hatted, in that he has a UK MoD role as well as his NATO responsibilities.
Much like SACEUR is always an American.
Is it a coincidence, given the RN’s new emphasis on Aircraft Carriers, that Blount is currently RA FAA and ACNS Carriers and Amphibious Ships?
That is if you believe in coincidence!
BUT…….
……With the leadership of some aspects of the MOD it is hard to believe there is any intelligence about some of the decisions taken.
CASE 1 — AIRTAKER – enough said!!!!
CASE 2 –Snatch Landrovers
CASE ………………… I could go on and on, and on, and on ………
Back in the day, some wore triple hats. The deputy Supreme Allied Commander, always British, was also Commander Eastern Atlantic, as well as FO CinC Fleet. COM SUB EASTLANT was FOC Submarines, and so on. They probably had to have a FOC Acronyms.
I believe now days FO Submarines is always the CoS Ops at Northwood.
I think the Deputy SACEUR is still British, but a General.