After nearly one and a half years General Riccardo Marchiò (Italian Army) leaves Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, handing command to his successor, General Erhard Bühler (German Army), with effect from 31 May 2019.
Leaving active duty after 45 years of service General Marchiò can look back on an impressive military career full of achievement. Highlights include: Operation Restore Hope in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993; a tour as the leader of the Italian ISAF Contingent in Kabul Afghanistan; a tour as Deputy Commander of the Multinational Division South/East in Basrah, Iraq; and a further tour in Afghanistan as the Deputy Commander ISAF Joint Command. General Marchiò assumed command of the Italian Army Operational Land Forces Command prior assuming command of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, in February 2018.
Following a ceremony led by General Tod D. Wolters (United States Air Force), NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Bühler has assumed command of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum. General Bühler is an officer with an extensive professional experience, acquired both in Germany, in the Army Staff, in the Defense General Staff, and abroad, as Commander of the Joint Warfare Centre in Stavanger, Norway, as well as from his time as the NATO Force Commander in Kosovo (KFOR) from 2010 to 2011.
The Change of Command Ceremony took place at the Hendrik Barracks – home of the Joint Force Command - in Brunssum and was attended by numerous high ranking civilian and military representatives of NATO and partner nations, regional and local dignitaries, and HQ staff.
More information and imagery will be available on the JFC Brunssum website and social media platforms after the ceremony.