President Obama has nominated Navy Adm. James Stavridis, now the head of U.S. Southern Command, to succeed Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock as the next NATO supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command. If confirmed by the Senate, Stavridis will oversee military operations of NATO’s 42 member and 22 partner countries in Europe. Both Stavridis and Craddock assumed their current jobs in 2006. Craddock is expected to retire.