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Christopher Gerard CavoliSupreme Allied Commander Europe from 2022
Date of Birth: 01.01.1994
Country:  USA |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Christopher Gerard Cavoli was born in 1964 in Würzburg, Germany, to an American-Italian family. His mother, Rita Maffei Maestranti, was from Giustino, Italy, and his father, Ivo Cavoli, was the son of emigrants from Pinzolo, Italy, and a USAF colonel who served in Germany and Italy.
Cavoli grew up on military bases, living in Gießen, Germany, attending elementary school in Rome, Italy, and high school in Vicenza, Italy. He graduated from Princeton University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology for his thesis on "The Effect of Earthworms on the Vertical Distribution of Myxomycetes in Soil." During his college years, Cavoli served in the university's Reserve Officer Training Corps, earning Distinguished Cadet honors.
Military Career
In 1987, Cavoli was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served with the 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment in Vicenza, Italy (1988-1991). From 1992 to 1994, he served as an instructor at the U.S. Army Ranger School with the rank of Captain.
Cavoli completed a course of study as a Foreign Area Officer specializing in Eurasia at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. In 1997, he earned a Master's of Arts degree in Russian and East European Studies from Yale University.
He held various staff positions, including Chief of Operations Plans (1999-2000) and Operations Officer for the 10th Mountain Division, serving in Bosnia as part of peace operations. In 2002, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
From 2001 to 2003, Cavoli served as the Director of Russian Affairs in the Joint Chiefs of Staff's Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy. He was also a Deputy Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2003-2004) and a National Defense University Senior Service Fellow (2004-2005).
Subsequently, Cavoli commanded the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, deploying to Afghanistan and serving as Deputy Commanding General for Regional Command West in Herat. In 2007, he was promoted to Colonel and graduated from the U.S. Army War College in 2009.
Cavoli held various leadership positions, including Deputy Chief of Operations for the 82nd Airborne Division (2013), Commander of the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command in Grafenwoehr, Germany (2014-2016), and Commander of the 25th Infantry Division in Honolulu, Hawaii (2016-2018).
In 2018, Cavoli was appointed Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe, and in 2020, of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. He was promoted to the rank of General in 2020.
On May 3, 2022, it was announced that Cavoli would assume the roles of Commander of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO.
Awards
Cavoli has received numerous awards, including the Lithuanian Order of Merit, Commander's Cross, in 2021, and the Bavarian Order of Merit in 2022.
Personal Life
Cavoli is married with two sons. He is fluent in Russian, Italian, and French.
