The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that General Philip M. Breedlove, Commander, U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe received the Order of the Cross of the Eagle, 1st Class from President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
In receiving the award, Gen. Breedlove thanked President Ilves, the Estonian Military and the people of Estonia. “You have been a stalwart ally and a smart ally and a demanding ally. And I like all of that,” he said. “Very simply, thank you for being a great partner. And thank you for being a voice that can be counted on.”
Gen. Breedlove visited Tallinn March 29, 2016 to meet with President Ilves and Commander-in-Chief of the Estonian Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Riho Terras. During his visit, Gen. Breedlove discussed with the Estonia leadership opportunities to build a stronger military-to-military relationship and the increase of future force presence in Europe.
A native of Forest Park, Georgia, Gen. Breedlove graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. As a distinguished graduate of Georgia Tech’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Program, Gen. Breedlove was commissioned in 1977. He has been assigned to numerous operational, command and staff positions, and has completed 10 overseas tours, including two remote tours. He has commanded a fighter squadron, an operations group, three fighter wings, and a numbered air force.
Gen. Breedlove has flown combat missions in Operation Joint Forge/Joint Guardian. He is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours, primarily in the F-16.
His last assignment was as Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, U.S. Air Forces Africa, Commander Air Component Command, Ramstein.
