Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. European Command, speaks April 5 as part of the Strategic Landpower Dialogue co-hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Strategic Landpower Dialogue is a quarterly on-the-record speaker series on landpower security issues. It serves as a unique source of data and insight into the current thinking of and future challenges facing the U.S. Army and land-based forces. It was launched in September with a discussion featuring Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.

The event with Cavoli, who also serves as NATO’s supreme allied commander, is the fourth in the series. It will take place from 12:45–2 p.m. Eastern April 5 at CSIS headquarters, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. It also will be livestreamed on the CSIS YouTube channel.

To attend in-person or online, you must register here.

During the discussion, Cavoli will explore military challenges in Europe, the war in Ukraine and his vision for landpower in the joint force.

Cavoli has served as commander of European Command and NATO’s supreme allied commander since July 2022. Since commissioning into the infantry in 1987, Cavoli has served throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, most recently commanding U.S. Army Europe from January 2018 to June 2022.

During his tenure at Army Europe, he incorporated responsibilities for Army operations in Africa into the command’s portfolio, resulting in U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

A foreign area officer with a concentration on Eurasia, Cavoli speaks Italian, Russian and French.

Testifying before Congress last year, Cavoli said Russia remains a significant threat, while China continues to increase its influence in several European sectors. “The People's Republic of China continues to increase its access and influence in our theater, and its activities pose a risk to U.S., allied and partner interests,” Cavoli said during hearing.

Russia and China also “have grown closer together,” and the alliance between the two countries is compounded by other challenges in Europe, such as the activities of violent extremist organizations, uncontrolled migration, organized crime and the effects of climate change, Cavoli said.

Earlier this year, Cavoli emphasized the importance of the NATO alliance. “Staying the course [that] we are on right now is very important,” he said during the U.S. European Command Strategy Conference and Workshop Jan. 29–Feb. 2 in Ramstein, Germany, according to a news release from the command.

In his keynote address to nearly 750 military and civilian leaders from more than 30 allied and partner nations, Cavoli said, “The alliance continues to exhibit unprecedented cohesion, focus and determination during its transformation to conduct large-scale, theater-wide deterrence and defensive operations. [U.S. European Command] stands resolutely with the alliance, committed to supporting its modernized system of collective defense every step of the way.”