NATO extends Jens Stoltenberg’s term as Secretary General

Get free NATO updates

we will send you one myFT Daily Digest Latest Email Rounding NATO News every morning.

NATO has extended Jens Stoltenberg’s term as the military alliance’s secretary-general for another year after the allies decided against a leadership change amid the war in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg, the former Norwegian prime minister who has led NATO since October 2014, was due to step down this autumn, but the alliance’s 31 members last month reached agreement on another extension to his term after failing to garner the support of alternative candidates. Did.

The 67-year-old, whose tenure at the helm of the US-led military coalition has already been extended three times, has won praise for his calm leadership and ability to build consensus among allies, especially over Russia’s full-scale Ukraine Last February brought war on NATO’s borders since the invasion.

“I am honored by the decision of our NATO allies to extend my term as Secretary-General,” Stoltenberg said. in a statement, “The transatlantic bond between Europe and North America has ensured our freedom and security for nearly 75 years, and in a more dangerous world, our alliance is more important than ever.”

Stoltenberg’s priorities include a sweeping change in NATO’s strategic position in Eastern Europe, and a return to the alliance’s main task of defending and deterring a potential Russian attack on the ally, after a generation of “out of range” operations in such countries. . as Afghanistan.

He will also have to map out an alliance approach to Asia, collaborating with Western allies such as Japan and South Korea as he worries about growing Chinese military power. Some NATO members, such as France, have urged the alliance to keep its focus on Europe.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he looked forward to continuing to work with Stoltenberg.

“Under (Stoltenberg’s) leadership, NATO has evolved to address new threats, continued to protect our people and has been steadfast in its support of Ukraine,” he said.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Bierbock congratulated Stoltenberg, saying his leadership has been “vital” to the alliance’s strength.

Stoltenberg had previously been evasive about a possible extension, saying he was “not looking” to continue in office beyond 1 October.

The expansion, which will be formally endorsed by NATO leaders at a summit next week, comes after options such as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace failed to win unanimous support.

Several allies suggested that it was time for the alliance to be led by a woman for the first time, while others argued that an Eastern European candidate would show a commitment to defending NATO’s eastern flank.

Stoltenberg has spent much of the past 18 months walking a fine line between urging allies to provide military aid to Ukraine and avoiding direct conflict between nuclear-armed Moscow and NATO.

Dubbed the “Trump Whisperer” for his ability to manage former US President Donald Trump’s sometimes antagonistic approach towards NATO allies, Stoltenberg went so far as to persuade Turkey to drop its veto on Sweden’s entry into the alliance. He has also played a personal role in the unsuccessful efforts of

During his tenure, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Finland joined the coalition.

Additional reporting by Laura Pittel in Berlin