Gen. Tod D. Wolters is Commander, U.S. European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). He is responsible for one of two U.S. forward-deployed geographic combatant commands whose area of focus spans across Europe, portions of Asia and the Middle East, the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. The command is comprised of more than 60,000 military and civilian personnel and is responsible for U.S. defense operations and relations with NATO and 51 countries. As SACEUR, he is one of NATO’s two strategic commanders and commands Allied Command Operations (ACO), which is responsible for the planning and execution of all Alliance operations. He is responsible to NATO’s Military Committee for the conduct of all NATO military operations.
Gen. Wolters received his commission in 1982 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has commanded the 19th Fighter Squadron, the 1st Operations Group, the 485th Air Expeditionary Wing, the 47th Flying Training Wing, the 325th Fighter Wing, the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan, and the 12th Air Force. He has fought in operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. The general has also served on the Joint Staff as the Director for Operations, in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, as Director of Legislative Liaison and in Headquarters staff positions at U.S. Pacific Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force and Air Force Space Command. Prior to assuming his current position, the general served as Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, U.S. Air Forces Africa; Commander, Allied Air Command, headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany; and Director, Joint Air Power Competence Centre, Kalkar, Germany.
Gen. Wolters is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours in the F-15C, F-22, OV-10, T-38 and A-10 aircraft.
EDUCATION
1982 Bachelor of Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1990 Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
1995 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
1996 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1996 Master of Aeronautical Science Technology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
2001 Master of Strategic Studies, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
2004 Senior Executive Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2007 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Combined Force Land Component Commander’s Course, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
2014 Fellow, Pinnacle Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1982–June 1983, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese Air Force Base, Texas
2. July 1983–August 1983, Student, Fighter Lead-in Training, Holloman AFB, N.M.
3. September 1983–November 1983, Student, OV-10 Replacement Training Unit, Patrick AFB, Fla.
4. November 1983–June 1984, OV-10 Pilot, 704th Tactical Air Support Squadron, Sembach Air Base, West Germany
5. July 1984–September 1986, OV-10 Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner, 27th TASS, George AFB, Calif.
6. October 1986–November 1986, Student, Fighter Lead-in Training, Holloman AFB, N.M.
7. December 1986–April 1987, Student, F-15 Replacement Training Unit, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
8. May 1987–December 1989, F-15 Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner, 53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Bitburg AB, West Germany
9. January 1990–April 1990, Student, U.S. Air Force F-15 Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. May 1990–February 1992, Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 9th TFS, Holloman AFB, N.M.
11. March 1992–March 1995, Assistant Operations Officer, Flight Commander and Instructor Pilot, F-15 Division, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
12. April 1995–March 1997, Aide-de-Camp to Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii
13. April 1997–December 1997, Chief of Safety, 3rd Wing, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
14. January 1998–December 1998, Operations Officer, 19th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
15. January 1999–June 2000, Commander, 19th FS, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
16. July 2000–June 2001, Student, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
17. June 2001–April 2002, Chief, Combat Forces Division, Directorate of Operational Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
18. May 2002–July 2004, Commander, 1st Operations Group, Langley AFB, Va. (February 2003–May 2003, Commander, 485th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia)
19. July 2004–May 2006, Commander, 47th Flying Training Wing, Laughlin AFB, Texas
20. June 2006–March 2008, Commander, 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
21. March 2008–March 2009, Deputy Commander, Political-Military Affairs, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, Kabul, Afghanistan
22. April 2009–May 2011, Director of Air, Space and Cyberspace Operations, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
23. May 2011–May 2012, Commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force – Afghanistan, and Deputy Commander-Air, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan
24. June 2012–August 2013, Director, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
25. September 2013–December 2014, Commander, 12th Air Force, Air Combat Command, and Commander, Air Forces Southern, U.S. Southern Command, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
26. December 2014–July 2015, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
27. July 2015–August 2016, Director for Operations, Joint Staff, Arlington, Va.
28. August 2016–April 2019, Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, U.S. Air Forces Africa; Commander, Allied Air Command, headquartered at Ramstein AB, Germany; and Director, Joint Air Power Competency Centre, Kalkar, Germany
29. May 2019–present, Commander, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), SHAPE, Belgium
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 1995–March 1997, Aide-de-Camp to Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, as a major
2. March 2008–March 2009, Deputy Commander, Political-Military Affairs, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, Kabul, Afghanistan, as a brigadier general
3. May 2011–May 2012, Commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force – Afghanistan, and Deputy Commander-Air, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, as a major general
4. September 2013–December 2014, Commander, Air Forces Southern, U.S. Southern Command, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., as a lieutenant general
5. July 2015–August 2016, Director for Operations, Joint Staff, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant general
6. May 2019–present, Commander, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), SHAPE, Belgium, as a general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 5,000
Aircraft flown: F-15C, F-22, OV-10, T-38 and A-10
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 2, 1982
First Lieutenant June 2, 1984
Captain June 2, 1986
Major March 1, 1994
Lieutenant Colonel Jan. 1, 1998
Colonel July 1, 2002
Brigadier General Nov. 2, 2007
Major General Aug. 2, 2011
Lieutenant General Sept. 24, 2013
General Aug. 11, 2016