MONS, Belgium -  A Change of Command ceremony was held at the NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ) at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) on Friday, July 15, 2016.

Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Curtis M. Scaparrotti presided over the event which saw Lieutenant General Brad Webb hand over the helm of the headquarters to newly promoted Vice Admiral Colin J. Kilrain.

Lieutenant General Webb will now serve as Commander of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command in Florida, U.S.A.  Webb stated "Dawna and I have really enjoyed living and working in Europe.  The NSHQ has been a true catalyst for change within the Alliance.  My hope is the team continues to be agile and embrace change."  

General Scaparrotti noted that Lieutenant General Webb was true to his word and "operationalised" the Command.  One of his first acts as Commander was deploying the NSHQ Special Operations Component Command (SOCC) to Estonia.  "This gave you the opportunity to test NSHQ capabilities and also provided reassurance to our allies and deterrence to potential aggressors," said Scaparrotti. 

SACEUR welcomed Vice Admiral Kilrain and his family to SHAPE and reminded the audience, "You are now joining the biggest and the most successful Alliance in history.  Our collective strength and unity give us great cause for confidence".  

Vice Admiral Kilrain is a career U.S. Naval Special Warfare SEAL officer.  He said, "We are excited about coming to SHAPE and are looking forward to the assignment. I know the NSHQ is not just necessary for the Alliance, but that its focus on making NATO SOF interoperable is critical for success on and off the battlefield".  

Vice Admiral Kilrain becomes the fourth Commander of the NATO Special Operations Command.