Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy graduate and Navy Adm. James Stavridis (F '83, '84) was tapped last month by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to serve as commander of NATO.
Stavridis, a four-star admiral, was selected to become the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe (SACEUR), the top military commander for U.S. troops in Europe.
Both the U.S. Senate and the NATO Council must confirm Stavridis before he officially becomes SACEUR.
If confirmed, he will be the first naval officer to occupy the position.
Stavridis has headed the U.S. Southern Command since 2006, a position in which he oversees defense and security in Latin and South America. At Fletcher, he received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy in 1983 and a Ph.D. in 1984.
Stavridis will have a wide array of responsibilities in the position, including raising troops from member nations and executing a successful and strategic approach to the conflict in Afghanistan.
The admiral has advocated a smart-power approach, which combines soft- and hard-power techniques in a strategic way, according to Professor of International Security Studies Robert Pfaltzgraff, who taught Stavridis in a course on transatlantic relations and NATO.
"We all want smart power," Pfaltzgraff said. "The military people, Stavridis included, are very much aware of the importance of soft power, and I heard Jim talk frequently about this when he was in Southern Command."
Deborah Nutter, the senior associate dean at the Fletcher School, said this practice aligns with the Obama administration's foreign policy.
"He fits in so well with what I would almost call Obama's stress on diplomacy," Nutter said. "It doesn't mean you give in to everybody, but it does mean you are aware of their position and interests."
Stavridis advocates a global approach in his actions, which Pfaltzgraff thinks will prove beneficial.
"I think [Stavridis] will exercise great leadership, as he has in his rise through the Navy ranks," Pfaltzgraff said. "He will understand that NATO has to be very much interested in out-of-area operations" -- those operations outside NATO's regular jurisdiction -- because he has seen the security issues from a variety of vantage points, both inside Europe and outside the North Atlantic area."
Some in European countries expressed surprise about Stavridis' nomination and have shown skepticism with respect to his overseas experience. Many of his supporters, though, believe that his firsthand experience in Latin and South America will benefit him in his new role.
Pfaltzgraff agrees that Stavridis' past experiences in dealing with drug trafficking will help him with new drug challenges that await him in Afghanistan. So, too, Pfaltzgraff said, will the admiral's experience with international terrorism.
"It is interesting, shall we say, the intersection of issues that are not confined to one region of the world -- in particular in that region in which NATO is increasingly operating," he said.
Excitement brewed at Fletcher over Stavridis' nomination.
"It is a definitely a source of pride for us," said Nathaniel Eberle, director of communications and public relations at the Fletcher School. "I think we do our best to promote our alumni in the spotlight, so all our alums know what an impact our individual alums are making on a global scale."
Former Fletcher School Dean John Galvin served as SACEUR for NATO in 1987, as well as the commander in chief of U.S. Southern Command.
"Both [Stavridis and Galvin] seem to be very Fletcher-like," Nutter said. "They are innovative, very interested in diplomacy and understanding of other states and cultures and the need to work collaboratively."
