Christopher G. Cavoli

Born to an Italian-American army officer during the Cold War in Würzburg, West Germany, Cavoli grew up in Rome, Verona, Vicenza, and Giessen.[1] He graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in biology in 1987 and was commissioned into the Infantry from the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. As part of his undergraduate degree, Cavoli completed a 22-page senior thesis titled "The Effect of Earthworms on the Vertical Distribution of Slime Molds in the Soil."[2] Cavoli was first assigned as a second lieutenant to the 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne at Vicenza from 1988 to 1991. He was promoted to captain and served as an instructor at Ranger School between 1992 and 1994. He entered the Russian Foreign Area Officer program in 1995, and graduated from Yale University with a Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies in 1997.[3] In 1999, he became chief of future operations for the 10th Mountain Division as a major and deployed to Bosnia with Implementation Force, before serving as an infantry battalion operations officer between 2000 and 2001. Now a lieutenant colonel, Cavoli served successively as Director for Russia on the Joint Staff Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate from 2001, as deputy executive assistant for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2003, and became a senior fellow at the National Defense University in 2004.[4]

Cavoli became commander of the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division in 2005.[4] The battalion deployed to Kunar Province during the War in Afghanistan with the brigade in 2006. He then commanded the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, in addition to serving as the deputy commander of Regional Command West in Herat during the War in Afghanistan. Cavoli also served as the director of the Coordination Group of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Cavoli held fellowships at the National Defense University, the George C. Marshall Center for European Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen,[5] and the Strategic Studies Group of the Army Chief of Staff.[6]

After serving as deputy commanding general for operations of the 82nd Airborne Division, Cavoli became commander of the 7th Army Joint Multionational Training Command at Grafenwoehr Training Area in July 2014.[7] He was assigned to command the 25th Infantry Division on 25 March 2016,[8] and officially assumed command in a ceremony on 4 August. He was confirmed by the Senate for promotion to major general on 26 May 2016.[9] He assumed command of United States Army Europe in a ceremony on 18 January 2018[1] after being confirmed by the Senate for promotion to lieutenant general on 20 December 2017.[10]

On 1 July 2020, Cavoli was nominated and confirmed by the Senate on 30 September 2020, for appointment to the rank of general,[11] and assignment as the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa,[12] combining the originally separate Army commands. He assumed his new command in Germany on 1 October 2020 and was formally promoted by Army Vice Chief of Staff Joseph M. Martin at the Pentagon on 7 October,[13] with an effective date-of-rank on 1 October.

Cavoli is married to Christina (née Dacey) of Fairfax, Virginia, and have two sons, Alex and Nick. A speaker of French, Italian, and Russian, he is a Foreign Area Officer with a concentration on Eurasia. Cavoli additionally holds a degree from Yale University.[6]