NATO Allies select Mark Rutte as next Secretary General


On Wednesday (26 June 2024), the North Atlantic Council decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg.

Mr Rutte will assume his functions as Secretary General from 1 October 2024, when Mr Stoltenberg’s term expires after ten years at the helm of the Alliance.

Read more…
Source: North Atlantic treaty Organization


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • Ukraine allies pledge €21bn in fresh military aid

    April 11, 2025

    Ukraine’s European allies have pledged €21bn ($24bn; £18bn) in a new tranche of military support for Kyiv in what they described as “a critical year” for the war. More than half of this – €11bn in aid over four years – is coming from Germany. British Defence Minister John Healey said the pledges would send a ...

  • Czech service members in Lithuania: CBRN defence in exercise Iron Fortress

    April 8, 2025

    Czech service members of the Multifunctional Chemical Defence Company performed sampling, identification, decontamination, and other tasks during the Iron Fortress exercise held in the Gaiziunai training area, Lithuania, from March 18-28. It was the first of a range of exercises attended by the CBRN defence specialists of the Czech Armed Forces’ 5th Task Force MNBG Lithuania. ...

  • Britain urged to join allies in pulling out of landmine treaty

    March 25, 2025

    Britain has been urged to withdraw from the key landmine and cluster bomb treaties to counter the deteriorating global security situation, former defence secretary Ben Wallace has said. With Russia’s military might growing and the US disengaging from Nato, Mr Wallace said that unless the treaties were updated, “we must leave them”. A key driver argued ...

  • Europe faces return of landmines as defence against Putin

    March 5, 2025

    Britain and its European allies must urgently regain the ability to deploy landmines if they are to be able to counter the “terrifying” threat posed by Russia, experts have warned. Finland, a new member of Nato in the wake of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, announced in December that it was considering pulling out of the ...

  • Soldiers from Finland undergoing training at the Bondsteel NATO base

    March 3, 2025

    Specialized KFOR units from Finland, which deal with the identification, removal and destruction of explosive devices, had an exercise at the Bondsteel NATO base near Uroševac. Finnish EOD soldiers, assigned to the East Regional Command of the KFOR mission, recently conducted training at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, according to KFOR. “Ensuring that EOD Soldiers are well ...

  • Sniffing Out Danger: EOD Operations at Steadfast Dart

    February 15, 2025

    Smardan, Romania- At NATO’s Steadfast Dart exercise, the precision and skill of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams are critical to ensuring safety and operational success. Lieutenant Zach from the 17th Field Squadron of the 35 Engineer Regiment of the British Army leads his team, which includes a crucial canine member. Along with their Greek counterparts, they ...

  • Pakistan: From chaos to control – a counterterror roadmap

    February 9, 2025

    Last year saw no let-up in terrorist attacks in Pakistan, and if the first few weeks of 2025 are anything to go by, this year seems to be on the same trajectory. Dozens of security and law-enforcement personnel have been martyred in both ambushes by and intelligence-based raids against militants, as the country continues to ...

  • Ukraine: Demining coalition agrees on nine-year roadmap for assistance

    December 2, 2024

    Participants in the ninth meeting of the Demining Coalition, co-chaired by Lithuania and Iceland, discussed Ukraine’s needs for equipment and weapons, and also agreed on the Roadmap for Assistance for 2025-2034. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense. The event brought together representatives of 14 countries, as well as officials from the NATO Security Assistance ...

  • The Estonian Navy, Together with Allies, Hunts for Historical Explosives in Estonian Waters

    November 5, 2024

    On October 4th, the Estonian Navy, together with NATO’s Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1), began a ten-day mine clearance operation in Estonian waters. During this operation, the Estonian Navy will search for, identify, and neutralize historical explosives in Pärnu Bay and the southern part of Väinameri. “Mine clearance operations in Estonian waters provide a ...

  • UK’s Reeves pledges more cash for defence spending

    October 30, 2024

    British finance minister Rachel Reeves said on Wednesday she would provide the defence ministry with an additional 2.9 billion pounds next year and promised an annual 3 billion-pound support for Ukraine would continue for “as long as it takes”. In her first budget speech, Reeves said the extra spending would take Britain towards its goal of ...

  • NATO CBRN defence specialists navigate chemical hazards in training

    October 14, 2024

    Live chemical agents were used in a NATO course to test the skills of a group of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence specialists. Using live chemical agents for training is unique to the Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence in Czechia, offering a chance for all 20 participants to experience the psychological challenges involved ...

  • NATO Chief Scientist launches Grants Programme to foster global security innovation

    October 14, 2024

    NATO has officially launched its Chief Scientist Grants Programme, dedicated to fostering excellence in science and technology research. In total, 500,000 euros will support research projects focused on advancing science and contributing to global security. Researchers from NATO member countries are invited to apply, with grants ranging from 25,000 euros to 100,000 euros. These will support ...

  • U.S. Navy EOD develops IED exploitation capabilities with NATO Allies and partners at Northern Challenge 2024

    October 9, 2024

    KEFLAVIK, Iceland – Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 operated alongside 17 NATO Ally and partner nations at Exercise Northern Challenge 2024, Sept. 26-Oct. 9, 2024. Northern Challenge demonstrates the United States’ commitment to NATO Allies and partners by integrating efforts to plan and execute complex EOD detection, neutralization, and exploitation capabilities within a multinational ...

  • Mark Rutte Takes Office as NATO Secretary General

    October 1, 2024

    During a special session of the North Atlantic Council, Mr Jens Stoltenberg formally passed the reins to Mr Mark Rutte, who expressed gratitude for the trust placed in him by NATO Allies. “It is a great honour to be here and to take up the position of NATO Secretary General,” he declared. Rutte’s vision for ...

  • NATO’s support for Azerbaijan’s humanitarian demining activities discussed in Luxembourg

    October 1, 2024

    Humanitarian demining efforts in Azerbaijan and NATO’s support for these activities have been discussed, Azernews reports, citing Samir Poladov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), as he told during an official visit to Luxembourg. As part of the visit, the Azerbaijani delegation held bilateral meetings with Orkhan Muradli, ...

  • How Much U.S. Aid Is Going to Ukraine?

    September 27, 2024

    Since the war began, the U.S. Congress has voted through five bills that have provided Ukraine with ongoing aid, doing so most recently in April 2024. The total budget authority under these bills—the “headline” figure often cited by news media—is $175 billion. The historic sums are helping a broad set of Ukrainian people and institutions, including ...

  • U.S. Navy EOD advances exMCM capabilities with Allies and partners at Exercise Sea Breeze 2024

    September 23, 2024

    VARNA, Bulgaria – Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 and Mobile Diving and Salvage Company (MDS) 2-3 operated alongside NATO allies and partners at Exercise Sea 24-3, Sept. 9-20, 2024. This collaborative exercise aims to address the current maritime mine threat, collective demining capabilities, and effective means of enhancing Black Sea regional maritime security. In ...

  • Ukraine joins NATO counter-drone exercise for first time

    September 19, 2024

    From 10 to 20 September 2024, over 450 participants from 19 NATO Allies and three partner-countries gathered in the Netherlands to test the ability of commercially available counter-drone systems to operate seamlessly together. Ukraine participated for the first time, alongside members of the private sector and research community. During NATO’s annual Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) Technical ...

  • NATO troops complete live-agent training at Exercise Precise Response in Canada

    September 4, 2024

    CANADIAN FORCES BASE SUFFIELD, Alberta, Canada – NATO forces recently honed their skills during live-agent chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) training at Exercise Precise Response on Canadian Forces Base Suffield in Alberta, Canada. CBRN troops from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States trained together at the ...

  • Spangdahlem AB hosts 2024 IED Rodeo

    August 2, 2024

    SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – The 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal flight hosted EOD teams from seven countries for their yearly Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Rodeo here July 24 – Aug. 2. The multilateral, competition-style training exercise challenged the teams on locating and disarming explosive devices, collaborating with partner nation teams to improve interoperability ...

  • NCIA supports counter-terrorism efforts

    July 17, 2024

    “Everyday things that look peaceful could be used as a weapon.” Locating and disposing of explosive devices in a safe manner is one challenge, identifying and eliminating the threat is another. Scientists from NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) have developed an automated biometric identification system and trained soldiers on how to use it during Exercise ...

  • NATO members pledge 40 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine

    July 10, 2024

    NATO allies have agreed to fund military aid for Ukraine with 40 billion euros ($43 billion) next year, two Western European diplomats told Reuters on Wednesday, a week before the alliance’s leaders are set to meet in Washington. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had asked allies to make a multi-year commitment to keep military aid for Kyiv ...