U.S. Takes Fresh Steps to Defeat ISIS Terrorists
The U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter will travel to Germany May 2-4 to deliver remarks at the change of command ceremony for U.S. European Command.
He also will host the latest meeting of defense ministers from countries leading the ongoing fight against the terrorists of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Syria) (ISIL / ISIS), according to a Defense Department statement.
According to the Defense Department, the counter-ISIL meeting, like previous coalition meetings in Paris and Brussels, will allow ministers to assess the state of the campaign, receive details on the latest steps the U.S. is taking to accelerate ISIL’s defeat and identify additional capabilities the coalition may need in the future.
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Eucom’s change of command ceremony is scheduled for May 3 at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, according to a Eucom news release.
During the ceremony, Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti will assume command from Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove. Carter is scheduled to preside over the ceremony alongside Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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When Scaparrotti’s nomination was announced in March, Carter said he was “one of the U.S. military’s most accomplished officers and combat leaders.”
Scaparrotti, a native of Logan, Ohio, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1978 and was commissioned as an Army second lieutenant.
A career infantry officer, Scaparrotti is presently the commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and U. S. Forces Korea.
Photo courtesy: U.S. Department of Defense
