MAGAZINE
SPRING 2019
IZMIR , Turkey – Italian Army Lt . Gen . Paolo Ruggiero passed the mantle of responsibility as NATO ’ s Allied Land Command ( LANDCOM ) Deputy Commander to British Army Lt . Gen . Richard Cripwell in a ceremony held today in front of family , friends and Soldiers at the LANDCOM Headquarters . U . S . Army Lt . Gen . John Thomson , the LANDCOM Commander , presided over the ceremony .
“ It was truly an honour to temporarily command the Headquarters on two occasions ,” said Ruggiero . “ I would like to thank all those in the Command Group with whom I had the pleasure to work . I would also like to recognize and thank our host nation for their continued and much appreciated support , both to the headquarters and to our families living in this beautiful city of Izmir . I would like to wish my successor all the best for his assignment as the fourth Deputy Commander of Allied Land Command . Teşekkür ederim .”
During his speech , Thomson thanked Lt . Gen . and Holly Ruggiero for their leadership to LANDCOM and for their excellent work in the local community . Ruggiero “ superbly served as our Deputy Commander for the past three years , which is 50 percent of LANDCOM ’ s lifespan ,”
said Thomson . His “ tenure included five Land Component Corps Commander Conferences , multiple major NATO exercises such as TRIDENT JAVELIN and TRIDENT JUNCTURE , several Combat Readiness Evaluations … [ and ] his travels took him from the high north to northern Africa , and from the Atlantic to the Black Sea .”
The new deputy commander , Lt . Gen . Cripwell , is coming from Resolute Support Mission at Kabul , Afghanistan , where he served as the Deputy Commander .
Lt . Gen . Ruggiero returns to Italy for his next assignment .
LANDCOM TRANSITIONS
DEPUTY COMMANDERS
By Lt . Col . David Olson ( USA ), LANDCOM Public Affairs Office .
Italian Army Lt . Gen . Paolo Ruggiero passed the mantle of responsibility as NATO ’ s Allied Land Command ( LANDCOM ) Deputy Commander to British Army Lt . Gen . Richard Cripwell in a ceremony held today in front of family , friends and Soldiers at the LANDCOM Headquarters . U . S . Army Lt . Gen . John Thomson , the LANDCOM Commander , presided over the ceremony . Left to right , British Army Lt . Gen . Richard Cripwell , incoming Deputy Commander ( DCOM ), U . S . Army Lt . Gen . John Thomson , Commander , and Italian Army Lt . Gen . Paolo Ruggiero , outgoing DCOM .
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