New NATO chief confirmed by Senate

The US Senate has confirmed President Joe Biden’s pick for NATO chief, Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli.

The new head of U.S. European Command and NATO supreme allied commander will take over from his predecessor, Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, beginning July 1 after an official change of command ceremony. Wolters has served in the position since May of 2019.

General Cavoli said in his confirmation hearing he is an advocate of the United States spending more than the currently-set goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product on NATO expenses. “I am an advocate of spending more than two percent, at least two percent,” Cavoli told Senators.

Cavoli also supports the addition of Finland and Sweden into NATO, saying their addition will bolster NATO military influence in the region. “I look forward to the accession of Finland and Sweden to the alliance from a military perspective,” Cavoli said. “Each of those militaries brings quite a bit of capability and capacity to the alliance from day one,” Cavoli said.

In addition to his new NATO duties, Cavoli will continue to serve as commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. Cavoli brings valuable expertise to the job as he previously served as director of Russia for the Joint Staff and as a general foreign area officer with a focus on Eurasia. 

Cavoli will take over the role during month 4 of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. In recent weeks, Russian forces have made significant advances in their hostile attempt to take control of major Ukrainian cities. The United States and other allies have scrambled to provide aid to Ukrainian forces, with the US contribution to the war totaling $6.1 billion since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine in late February.