German general becomes first non-US USAREUR chief of staff
WIESBADEN, Germany — U.S. Army Europe formally welcomed German Brig. Gen. Markus Laubenthal as its new chief of staff Thursday, beginning what one German official said would likely be the first of many such exchanges between the U.S. and German armies.
Since USAREUR was established after World War II, a foreign officer has never served as chief of staff of the three-star command, headed since late 2012 by U.S. Lt. Gen. Donald M. Campbell Jr.
Laubenthal’s role in the organization will be much more than symbolic, Campbell said, though U.S. law precludes Laubenthal, as a German officer, from seeing some classified information that American officers in the same position would be able to access.
...
Vollmer, the second in command of the German military, said that the Germans are open to assigning an American officer to a similar position within the German army.
http://www.stripes.com/news/german-general-becomes-first-non-us-usareur-chief-of-staff-1.300422