Maj. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, second from right, visits soldiers at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, on Feb. 6, 2024. Buzzard was nominated July 24 for a third star and an assignment as the leader of a Germany-based group providing military assistance to Ukraine, the Defense Department announced. (Jarvis Mace/U.S. Army)
STUTTGART, Germany — Maj. Gen. Curtis Buzzard was nominated this week for a third star and an assignment as the next leader of a Germany-based command focused on getting military aid to Ukraine, according to the Defense Department.
If confirmed by the Senate, Buzzard would lead several hundred troops who make up the Security Assistance Group–Ukraine based at U.S. Army Europe and Africa headquarters in Wiesbaden.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Buzzard now serves as commander of the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Moore in Georgia. He was nominated Wednesday for the promotion and the Wiesbaden post, the Pentagon said.
Buzzard will arrive in Wiesbaden at a time of transition for the Ukraine assistance mission. At NATO’s summit in Washington earlier this month, member countries agreed to make the U.S.-led effort an alliance-led initiative.
The Security Assistance Group-Ukraine, known as the SAG-U, has been under American command since it was launched in 2022. The unit is currently led by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Antonio Aguto Jr. But going forward, NATO will take over the coordination and provision of most international security assistance. The mission, to be known as NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, will be in Wiesbaden and involve about 700 personnel.
The new command is expected to stand up in a matter of weeks.
U.S. Army Europe and Africa on Thursday said the SAG-U will continue to function. NATO’s military headquarters did not immediately respond to a question on whether the separate NATO headquarters at Wiesbaden also will be led by Buzzard in a dual-hatted role.
“By using NATO structures, our support will be on a firmer footing, will provide more predictability for Kyiv, and will address both immediate and longer-term needs,” NATO’s military headquarters said in a July 11 statement.
The change means that the three-star command will report to U.S. Gen. Christopher Cavoli in his capacity as NATO supreme allied commander rather than in his other role as chief of U.S. European Command.
