Leaders gather in New York amid crises in Gaza and Ukraine
World leaders are set to gather next week in New York for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Key issues on the agenda include a speech by US...
The Pentagon’s internal debate over restructuring key military commands — including potentially ending the U.S. monopoly over NATO’s top post — has raised red flags among generals and lawmakers alike, amid growing unease in Europe.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly weighing whether to merge U.S. European and Africa Commands, and even end America’s 75-year hold on the role of NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe — known as SACEUR.
General Christopher Cavoli, who currently holds both posts, warned senators Thursday that such a shift could severely complicate nuclear command structures and the U.S. military's global coordination.
"I would have the responsibility for 50 more countries... it would be a stretch," Cavoli told the Senate Armed Services Committee, referring to a potential merger with U.S. Africa Command.
Since NATO’s founding, every SACEUR has been an American. Removing that tradition would raise critical questions about who leads U.S. troops overseas, especially in nuclear scenarios.
“I think those are things that would have to be considered carefully,” Cavoli cautioned.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Hegseth has criticised the number of four- and three-star generals in U.S. service, suggesting the military’s upper ranks may be due for a trim.
The potential command shake-up comes at a time when Europe’s confidence in American support is wavering.
President Donald Trump’s shifting posture toward NATO and Ukraine, including a recent cut-off in aid after a tense Oval Office exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has already stirred anxiety across the Atlantic.
"Maybe we should have a conversation about the Supreme Allied Commander role," said Senator Eric Schmitt, adding that keeping an American general in the post might be “furthering a ruse.”
He quoted Dwight Eisenhower, NATO’s first commander, who once said: “If in 10 years, all American troops stationed in Europe for national defense purposes have not been returned to the United States, then this whole project (NATO) will have failed.”
General Cavoli also warned of the consequences for Ukraine, should U.S. support diminish further.
“It would obviously have a rapid and deleterious effect on their ability to fight,” he said.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Japanese conservative politician Sanae Takaichi on Thursday announced her candidacy for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a move that could make her the country’s first female prime minister, Kyodo News reported.
The world’s two largest economies, the United States and China, remain mired in a trade war, with experts suggesting that a call scheduled for Friday between the two leaders is likely to address issues including the social media app TikTok, tariffs, and technology.
Germany will decide whether to support sanctions against Israel ahead of the European Union (EU) meeting in Copenhagen in October, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday during a visit to Madrid.
World leaders are set to gather next week in New York for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Key issues on the agenda include a speech by US President Donald Trump, the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, increasing Western recognition of a Palestinian state, and nuclear tensions with I
Fifty-two Members of the European Parliament from 15 countries on Thursday called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to bar Israel from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, citing the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
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