Markus Laubenthal Explained

Markus Laubenthal is a General in the German Army and the Chief of Staff of SHAPE - see official bio at https://shape.nato.int/chief-of-staff-cos. His previous assignment was as the German Vice Chief of Defence. Earlier, he served inter alia as the Chief of Staff of U.S. Army Europe where he was the first non-American to hold that post.^{[2] [3]} He was born on December 4, 1962, in Frankurt, Germany.

Career

Before his appointment to this post in 2014 he commanded the Bundeswehr's 12th Armored Brigade in Amberg. He is widowed with a son. In August 2013, he took over as chief of staff for ISAF Regional Command North in Afghanistan, where he helped oversee the drawdown of German troops from Kunduz and Mazar-e-Sharif, according to information on the German army website.^[4] Before his service as a commander in Amberg he was the head of the Political Department of the Ministry of Defense. In the official statement of the Bundeswehr on the new German post he said:

Notes and References

1. Web site: Deutscher General wird Stabschef bei der US Army in Europa . Thomas Wiegold . Augen Geradeaus .
2. Web site: In historic first, German army general appointed USAREUR chief of staff . Jad Sleiman . Stars and Stripes .
3. Web site: German officer to serve as U.S. Army Europe's chief of staff . Jim Tice . Army Times .
4. https://www.stripes.com/news/army/in-historic-first-german-army-general-appointed-usareur-chief-of-staff-1.296324/ "In historic first, German army general appointed USAREUR chief of staff"