US President Donald Trump has nominated Eric Wendt, a retired military officer, as US ambassador to Albania.
General Eric Wendt was born on October 7, 1964, in Berkeley, California. During his career, he has commanded at all levels of Special Forces and Special Operations, from captain to lieutenant general. Wendt served four and a half years in the Light Infantry and 30 years in Special Forces, holding 13 years of command roles at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels, while serving in 56 different countries.
During his military career, Wendt served as Principal Military Assistant to Secretaries of Defense Robert Gates and Leon Panetta. He also worked directly with the U.S. Secretary of State and led an eight-nation coalition for two years while serving as the U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
In his last assignment, Wendt commanded the NATO Special Operations Headquarters from 2019 to 2021. He retired from military service on March 1, 2021, after a 34-and-a-half-year career.
