Editing Alexander Haig (section)

==NATO Supreme Allied Commander (1974–1979)==
[[File:General Alexander M. Haig, Jr.jpg|thumb|left|General Haig during his tenure as [[Supreme Allied Commander Europe]]]]
In December 1974, Haig was appointed as the next [[Supreme Allied Commander Europe]] by President Ford, replacing General [[Andrew Goodpaster]] and returning to active duty in the United States Army. Haig also became the front-runner to be the 27th [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army|U.S. Army Chief of Staff]], following the death of General [[Creighton Abrams]] from complications of surgery to remove lung cancer on 4 September 1974. However it was General [[Frederick C. Weyand]] who ultimately filled Abrams's position as Chief of Staff.<ref name=":0" /> From 1974 to 1979 Haig served as the [[Supreme Allied Commander Europe]], the commander of NATO forces in Europe, as well as [[commander-in-chief]] of [[United States European Command]]. During his tenure as SACEUR, Haig focused on transforming SACEUR in order to face the future global challenge following the end of the [[Vietnam War]] and the rise of Soviet influence within Eastern Europe.

Haig focused on strengthening the relationship between the United States and NATO member nations and their allies. As a result, several fleets of United States Air Force aircraft, such as the [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|F-111 Aardvark]] from the [[Strategic Air Command]], were relocated to US Air Force bases located in Europe.<ref name=":0" /> Haig also stressed the importance of increasing the training of US troops deployed in Europe following his tour of the [[United States Sixth Fleet|Sixth Fleet]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], on which Haig saw poorly-disciplined and ill-trained troops. As a result, Haig conducted routine inspections during NATO troops' training and often went to the training site and participated in the training itself. Haig also recommended the revitalization of equipment in the US installations in Europe and US troops deployed in Europe, in order to strengthen deterrence from possible attack.<ref name=":0" />

Haig took the same route to [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe|SHAPE]] every day—a pattern of behavior that did not go unnoticed by terrorist organizations. On 25 June 1979, Haig was the target of an assassination attempt in [[Mons, Belgium]]. A [[land mine]] blew up under the bridge on which Haig's car was traveling, narrowly missing his car and wounding three of his bodyguards in a following car.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/25/world/german-guilty-in-79-attack-at-nato-on-alexander-haig.html |title= German Guilty in '79 Attack At NATO on Alexander Haig|date=November 25, 1993|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Aust |first=Stefan |author-link=Stefan Aust |date=2020 |title= Der Baader-Meinhof-Komplex |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r-nsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT866 |publisher=Piper |isbn=978-3-492-23628-7 |page=959 |language=german}}</ref> Authorities later attributed responsibility for the attack to the [[Red Army Faction]] (RAF). In 1993 a German court sentenced [[Rolf Clemens Wagner]], a former RAF member, to life imprisonment for the assassination attempt.<ref name="nytimes" /> During Haig's last month as Supreme Allied Commander Europe, he oversaw the talks and negotiation between the United States and NATO member nations of a new policy following the signing of [[Strategic Arms Limitation Talks|SALT II treaty]] on 18 June 1979, by President [[Jimmy Carter]] and Soviet President [[Leonid Brezhnev]]. However Haig also drew concern regarding the treaty, which he believed benefited the Soviet position by giving them a way to build up their military arsenal.<ref name=":0" />

Haig retired from his position as Supreme Allied Commander Europe in July 1979 and was succeeded by General [[Bernard W. Rogers]], who previously served as [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army|Army Chief of Staff]].<ref name=":0" /> Haig's retirement ceremony took place at [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe|NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe]] on 1 July 1979, and was attended by [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense)|Harold Brown]], [[Secretary General of NATO|NATO Secretary General]] [[Joseph Luns]] and U.S. Ambassador to NATO [[William Tapley Bennett Jr.]]<ref name=":0" />