Commanding General, United States Army Europe and Africa

Commanding General of United States Army Europe and Africa
Commanding General of United States Army Europe and Africa
	Insignia of USAREUR-AF
	Flag of a U.S. Army four-star general
	Incumbent; General Christopher T. Donahue; since December 10, 2024
	United States Army Europe and Africa
Type	Service component commander
Abbreviation	CG USAREUR-AF
Reports to	Commander, United States European Command (operational); Secretary of the Army (administrative); Chief of Staff of the United States Army (administrative)
Seat	Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, Wiesbaden, Germany
Appointer	The President; with Senate advice and consent
Term length	2–3 years; (approx.)
Formation	June 8, 1942
First holder	MG James E. Chaney
Deputy	Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Africa
Website	Official Website

The commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa (CG USAREUR-AF)^[a] was formerly known as the commander-in-chief of United States Army Europe (CINCUSAREUR).^[b] Prior to 8 May 1945 the official title was Commander, European Theater of Operations, United States Army. From 1953 to 1967 the commanding general of USAREUR was "dual hatted" as commander of the Central Army Group of NATO forces in Germany.

List of USAREUR Commanders/Commanding Generals

No.	Commanding General		Term
No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Term length
-		Major General James E. Chaney (1885–1967) Acting	June 8, 1942	June 21, 1942	13 days
-		Major General Russell P. Hartle (1889–1961) Acting	June 21, 1942	June 24, 1942	3 days
1		Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969)	June 24, 1942	February 4, 1943	225 days
2		Lieutenant General Frank M. Andrews (1884–1943)	February 4, 1943	May 3, 1943	88 days
-		Major General William S. Key Acting	May 3, 1943	May 7, 1943	4 days
3		Lieutenant General Jacob L. Devers (1887–1979)	May 7, 1943	January 16, 1944	254 days
(1)		General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969)	January 16, 1944	November 11, 1945	1 year, 299 days
-		General George S. Patton Jr. (1885–1945) Acting	November 11, 1945	November 26, 1945	15 days
4		General Joseph T. McNarney (1893–1972)	November 26, 1945	March 15, 1947	1 year, 109 days
5		General Lucius D. Clay (1898–1978)	March 15, 1947	May 15, 1949	2 years, 61 days
6		Lieutenant General Clarence R. Huebner (1888–1972)	May 15, 1949	September 2, 1949	110 days
7		General Thomas T. Handy (1892–1982)	September 2, 1949	August 12, 1952	2 years, 345 days
8		Lieutenant General Manton S. Eddy (1892–1962)	August 12, 1952	April 1, 1953	232 days
9		General Charles L. Bolte (1895–1989)	April 1, 1953	September 29, 1953	181 days
10		General William M. Hoge (1894–1979)	September 29, 1953	February 1, 1955	1 year, 125 days
11		General Anthony McAuliffe (1898–1975)	February 1, 1955	May 1, 1956	1 year, 90 days
12		General Henry I. Hodes (1899–1962)	May 1, 1956	April 1, 1959	2 years, 335 days
13		General Clyde D. Eddleman (1902–1992)	April 1, 1959	October 20, 1960	1 year, 202 days
14		General Bruce C. Clarke (1901–1988)	October 20, 1960	May 1, 1962	1 year, 193 days
15		General Paul L. Freeman Jr. (1907–1988)	May 1, 1962	March 18, 1965	2 years, 321 days
16		General Andrew P. O'Meara (1907–2005)	March 18, 1965	June 1, 1967	2 years, 75 days
17		General James H. Polk (1911–1992)	June 1, 1967	March 20, 1971	3 years, 292 days
-		Lieutenant General Arthur S. Collins Jr. (1915–1984) Acting	March 20, 1971	May 26, 1971	67 days
18		General Michael S. Davison (1917–2006)	May 26, 1971	June 29, 1975	4 years, 34 days
19		General George S. Blanchard (1920–2006)	June 30, 1975	May 29, 1979	3 years, 333 days
20		General Frederick J. Kroesen Jr. (1923–2020)	May 29, 1979	April 15, 1983	3 years, 321 days
21		General Glenn K. Otis (1929–2013)	April 15, 1983	June 23, 1988	5 years, 69 days
22		General Crosbie E. Saint (1936–2018)	June 24, 1988	July 9, 1992	4 years, 15 days
23		General David M. Maddox (born 1938)	July 9, 1992	December 19, 1994	2 years, 163 days
24		General William W. Crouch (born 1941)	December 19, 1994	August 5, 1997	2 years, 229 days
25		General Eric K. Shinseki (born 1942)	August 5, 1997	November 10, 1998	1 year, 97 days
26		General Montgomery C. Meigs (born 1945)	November 10, 1998	December 3, 2002	4 years, 23 days
27		General Burwell B. Bell III (born 1947)	December 3, 2002	December 14, 2005	3 years, 11 days
28		General David D. McKiernan (born 1950)	December 14, 2005	May 2, 2008	2 years, 140 days
-		Lieutenant General Gary D. Speer (born 1950) Acting	May 2, 2008	August 28, 2008	118 days
29		General Carter F. Ham (born 1952)	August 28, 2008	March 8, 2011	2 years, 192 days
30		Lieutenant General Mark P. Hertling^[1] (born 1953)	March 25, 2011	November 1, 2012	1 year, 221 days
-		Major General James C. Boozer Acting	November 1, 2012	December 1, 2012	30 days
31		Lieutenant General Donald M. Campbell Jr. (born 1956)	December 1, 2012	November 5, 2014	1 year, 339 days
32		Lieutenant General Ben Hodges^[2] (born 1958)	November 5, 2014	December 15, 2017	3 years, 40 days
-		Major General Timothy P. McGuire Acting	December 15, 2017	January 18, 2018	34 days
33		General Christopher G. Cavoli (born c. 1965) ^[c]	January 18, 2018	June 28, 2022	4 years, 161 days
34		General Darryl A. Williams (born 1961)	June 28, 2022	December 10, 2024	2 years, 165 days
35		General Christopher T. Donahue (born 1969)	December 10, 2024	Incumbent	9 days

Notes

^ June 8, 1942, activated as European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (ETOUSA); July 1, 1945, redesignated U.S. Forces European Theater (USFET); March 15, 1947, redesignated European Command (EUCOM); August 1, 1952, redesignated U.S. Army, Europe (USAREUR); December 1, 1966, redesignated U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army (USAREUR / 7A); December 17, 2010, redesignated U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR); October 1, 2020, redesignated U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF)
^ The Commander in Chief concurrently was US Military Governor and had a personal staff in Berlin. The EUCOM staff was in Frankfurt and commanded by the Deputy CINCEUR/EUCOM Chief of Staff (CofS). LTG Huebner was Deputy CINCEUR/EUCOM CofS when the headquarters relocated to Campbell Barracks, Heidelberg, between February and June 1948. When GEN Clay retired, LTG Huebner served from 15 May to 2 July 1949 as Acting CINCEUR/US Military Governor, with headquarters in Heidelberg. From 2 July 1949 the Military Governor was replaced by a civilian US high commissioner which ended the commander's dual role.
^ Assumed office as a lieutenant general. Was promoted to general on October 1, 2020 when he assumed the additional assignment of commanding general of U.S. Army Africa.

References

[1] June 8, 1942, activated as European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (ETOUSA); July 1, 1945, redesignated U.S. Forces European Theater (USFET); March 15, 1947, redesignated European Command (EUCOM); August 1, 1952, redesignated U.S. Army, Europe (USAREUR); December 1, 1966, redesignated U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army (USAREUR / 7A); December 17, 2010, redesignated U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR); October 1, 2020, redesignated U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF)

[2] The Commander in Chief concurrently was US Military Governor and had a personal staff in Berlin. The EUCOM staff was in Frankfurt and commanded by the Deputy CINCEUR/EUCOM Chief of Staff (CofS). LTG Huebner was Deputy CINCEUR/EUCOM CofS when the headquarters relocated to Campbell Barracks, Heidelberg, between February and June 1948. When GEN Clay retired, LTG Huebner served from 15 May to 2 July 1949 as Acting CINCEUR/US Military Governor, with headquarters in Heidelberg. From 2 July 1949 the Military Governor was replaced by a civilian US high commissioner which ended the commander's dual role.

[5] Assumed office as a lieutenant general. Was promoted to general on October 1, 2020 when he assumed the additional assignment of commanding general of U.S. Army Africa.

[3] Hertling leaves USAREUR without fanfare, retires

[4] U.S. Army Europe welcomes new commander in Wiesbaden ceremony

[a]

[b]

[1]

[2]

[c]

List of USAREUR Commanders/Commanding Generals

See also

Notes

References