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OEIRAS, Portugal - Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) hosted the visit of the Commander, Allied Air Command General James B. Hecker, on February 23.

Deputy Commander STRIKFORNATO, Rear Admiral James Morley, and the STRIKFORNATO team received the Commander, Allied Air Command General James B. Hecker at Headquarters in Oeiras, Portugal.

During the visit, General James Hecker had the opportunity to visit STRIKFORNATO’s Joint Operations Center and receive briefs on STRIKFORNATO’s future exercises, initiatives, and dynamic vigilance activities, such as FORMIDALBE SHIELD 23.

General Hecker is responsible to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe for the Air and Missile Defence of NATO Alliance member nations during peacetime operations. His command ensures the preservation of Alliance territorial integrity from Northern Norway to Southern Italy and from the Azores to Eastern Türkiye, including every European NATO nation. Furthermore, in the event of a joint NATO operation he is the responsible commander of the Air Component. He is also Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and U.S. Air Forces Africa.

STRIKFORNATO is a rapidly deployable and scalable headquarters, under the operational command of SACEUR, capable of planning and executing full spectrum joint maritime operations including maritime Balistic Missile Defence, primarily through integration of U.S. and other nation’s carrier and amphibious forces into NATO operations to provide assurance, deterrence, and collective defence for the Alliance.