Gen. Christopher Donahue, head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, congratulates the incoming leader of the 56th Multi-Domain Command, Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter, in Wiesbaden, Germany, July 10, 2025, as outgoing commander Maj. Gen. John Rafferty watches at right. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
STUTTGART, Germany — The Army’s artillery and multidomain command in Europe has a new boss, who will be tasked with completing the transformation of a headquarters being reshaped for a different way of waging war.
Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter took the reins of the 56th Multi-Domain Command in Wiesbaden on Thursday from Maj. Gen. John Rafferty.
Previously separate headquarters, the 56th Artillery Command and the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force recently merged into one. The new headquarters is responsible for coordinating everything from artillery fires to intelligence and electronic warfare.
The new leader of the 56th Multi-Domain Command, Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter, speaks July 10, 2025, at a change of command ceremony at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. Carpenter took command of the unit from Maj. Gen. John Rafferty. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
“They are doing things that no other command is doing,” Gen. Christopher Donahue, head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said during a change of command ceremony at Clay Kaserne.
Donahue credited Rafferty for being a major driver of the Army’s ongoing transformation in Europe, saying he has articulated “a vision of how we have to fight now and into the future.”
Other aspects of the multidomain job involve training and coordination with allies and providing assistance to Ukrainian troops, who have a long track record of training at Army sites in Germany.
Maj. Gen. John Rafferty, left, and Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter flank Gen. Christopher Donahue, the head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, at a ceremony July 10, 2025, at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, where leadership of the 56th Multi-Domain Command passed from Rafferty to Carpenter. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The outgoing commander of the 56th Multi-Domain Command, Maj. Gen. John Rafferty, speaks at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, July 10, 2025, during a ceremony in which he handed over the unit’s reins to Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Gen. Christopher Donahue, head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, speaks at the 56th Multi-Domain Command’s change of command ceremony July 10, 2025, in Wiesbaden, Germany, where Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter took the unit’s reins from Maj. Gen. John Rafferty. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Carpenter, who previously led the 7th Army Training Command in Grafenwoehr, brings relevant experience, Donahue said.
“Nobody possesses a more intimate understanding of how we have to train Ukrainians than him,” Donahue said. “He’s trained over 10,000 Ukrainians in his time (in Grafenwoehr).”
Carpenter said in brief remarks that troops must prepare for the unexpected and prioritize warfare.
“There is no middle ground in this game,” he said. “There are no moral victories, but that’s also why we love to play it.”
The 56th Multi-Domain Command color guard stands on the field at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, during the unit’s change of command ceremony July 10, 2025. Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter took command from Maj. Gen. John Rafferty. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter takes the colors of the 56th Multi-Domain Command from Gen. Christopher Donahue, head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, at a change of command ceremony July 10, 2025, in Wiesbaden, Germany. Outgoing leader Maj. Gen. John Rafferty and Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Jackson look on at right. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
