Canadian Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Kevin Mathers serves as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL) of NATO’s Allied Land Command (LANDCOM), located in Izmir, Turkey.
As CSEL, CWO Mathers serves as the principal advisor to his commander, U.S. Army Lieutenant General J.T. Thomson, on matters affecting non-commissioned members (NCM) in the Alliance, while providing the command’s force structure and staff with NCM and junior officer development, utilisation and engagement. He has been in the position since 2019.
CWO Mathers joined the Army in 1985; throughout his 36-year career, he has deployed to missions in Cyprus, Golan Heights, Bosnia and Afghanistan. He has served in a variety of assignments and completed multiple schools around the globe, including the NATO CSEL Course and the Keystone Joint Senior Enlisted Command Course in Washington DC. More information on his career can be found here:
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LANDCOM is the theatre land component and land advocate responsible for coordinating and synchronizing NATO and partner land forces by enabling land domain readiness, interoperability, standardization, and competency. The headquarters also, on order, deploys elements to provide planning, coordination, and command and control capabilities to Allied forces.
LANDCOM was established in Izmir, Turkey, December 1, 2012, at the former NATO Air Command-Izmir, which deactivated the following year on June 1, 2013. The SACEUR at the time, U.S. Navy Admiral James G. Stavridis, presided, unfurling the LANDCOM colors to pass to its first commanding general, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Frederick "Ben" Hodges. LANDCOM's premier CSEL, Canadian Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Saulnier, would serve as an important symbol for Hodges' vision to instill an ethos across all NATO forces to empower the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) with greater influence and responsibility for training soldiers and advising commanders. Today, NATO CSELs continue the vision of empowering NCOs throughout the Alliance.
This is part four of a SHAPE Public Affairs series, introducing CSELs within Allied Command Operations. Following highlights will include CSELs from: Allied Maritime Command, Allied Air Command, and other units from multiple domains and subcommands.