German Brigadier General Markus Laubenthal to be Chief of Staff at USAREUR
John sends us a link to the story in Stars & Stripes which reports that US Army Europe will have a German, Brigadier General Markus Laubenthal as it’s chief of staff – the first German in that position since the Army came to Germany in 1945.
“This is a bold and major step forward in USAREUR’s commitment to operating in a multinational environment with our German allies,” Lt. Gen. Donald Campbell Jr., USAREUR commander, said of Laubenthal’s appointment. “U.S. and German senior military leaders have been serving together in NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan for years. Sustaining the shared capability from this experience will benefit both U.S. and German armies.”
Laubenthal, 51, commanded the Bundeswehr’s 12th Armored Brigade in Amberg before this assignment. In August of last year, he took over as chief of staff for ISAF Regional Command North in Afghanistan, where he helped oversee the drawdown of German troops from Kunduz and Mazar-e-Sharif, according to information on the German army website. Among other assignments, he served as military assistant to the deputy commander of operations and assistant chief of staff for operations for NATO’s Kosovo force.
This is probably a good sign that Germany is going to participate more in it’s own defense. I enjoyed working with German soldiers, especially on our joint patrols along the East German border – they were lunatics because they could do stuff that we couldn’t.
It’s probably a peace offering since we’ve been caught spying on their chancellor, Angela Merkel and we were caught spying on their government and the CIA station chief was expelled.
Category: Military issues
The twoofers on both sides of the aisle are already throwing a hissy fir about this appointment. They’re claiming it’s more proof of the rise of the “New World Order”.
I have no problems with this move, and I’m quite happy if Germany (and the rest of Europe) will start seeing to their own defense needs vice leaning on the US.
Yeah.I can see how handing over command of our own forces to a foreign national is helping the foreign nationals look to their own defense.
In fairness, he’s not a commander, he’s a CoS.
He’s not commanding troops. He’s just the Chief of Staff for the US Commander.
Reading is important. 🙂
From a civilians point of reference, what does that mean? What is the CoS responsible for? What do they do?
Good to hear from a joint operations perspective. I do have one question though…..have the French surrendered after hearing this news? 🙂
You mean the French Army’s Battle Flag, a white cross on a white background? They unveiled their newest battle tank this week, it has 14 gears, 13 in reverse, and the 14th makes it go forward just in case they get attacked from behind!
I written this before so bear with me. Whenever international sanctions are handed out to any nation, France’s immediate response and sanction is, “We promise to export only our most inferior table wines to Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, etc, you just tell us who and we are on board. You have our word. That is until the bullets start flying by our street side cafes. Nothing upsets our appetites for a good white sauce like a bullet going by. In which case, we will immediately surrender and then…weep in the streets.”
You know why the Champs Elysee is lined with trees? The Germans prefer marching in the shade.
I’m cool with it.
I am NOT “cool with it”!
With so many facets to consider, I don’t know how to properly address this issue in the limited space of a mere comment, but, the bottom line is, I just plain don’t like the idea.
He’s got the requisite black beret. So what’s the problem?
Hey- with this administration, we COULD have ended up with some guy from Rwanda…….
At least this guy knows how to wear a beret.
Smallest beret I’ve ever seen. Looks like a beanie.
Garbage.
For all the mulitantional circlejerking going on you’d think those countries would at least send a viable military force to accomplish missions they are supposedly integral in.
Germany’s absolutely pathetic presence in Afghanistan should have reserved them a chair at the kids table. Not an appointment to anything resembling usefulness.
What? A foreigner (of any variety) assigned as CoS to any segment of the United States Army?
Are there no actual Americans left who could serve?
There are no words to describe how disturbing this is as the various social and self-destructive experiments continue.
III Corps at Ft. Hood had a Canadian General Officer as the Deputy Commander for multiple years, and there have been literally thousands of exchange officers serving in US units over the last 70 years, so this is not really something new.
As pointed out, he’s the Chief of Staff, not commander. We’ve been propping up Germany’s defense for decades, so it’s time they step up and do more of their own.
How exactly does a feel good position accomplish that?
I think pulling out of countries that can’t be bothered to help in any meaningful way when they ask them militarily would give them more incentive than plush staff position for accolades.
I didn’t know there was still a USAREUR.
I didn’t even know that we even had any troops still in Europe.
After the treatment given out by Gen Eisenwhore this could be seen as an sbsolute insult to Germany ? but from Obama that may be intensional