| Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization | |
|---|---|
| Secrétaire général de l'OTAN (French) | |
 Logo of NATO | |
 | |
.jpg) | |
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization | |
| Type | |
| Abbreviation | NATO SecGen |
| Member of | North Atlantic Council |
| Seat | NATO headquarters |
| Appointer | Member states |
| Term length | Four years, renewable |
| Formation | 24 March 1952; 73 years ago (1952-03-24) |
| First holder | Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay |
| Deputy | Deputy Secretary General |
| Website | Office of the Secretary General |
Thesecretary general of NATO is the chief civil servant of theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an intergovernmental military alliance with 32 member states. The officeholder is an internationaldiplomat responsible for coordinating the workings of the alliance, leading NATO's international staff, chairing the meetings of theNorth Atlantic Council and most major committees of the alliance, with the notable exception of theNATO Military Committee, as well as acting as NATO's spokesperson.[1] The secretary general does not have a military command role; political, military and strategic decisions ultimately rest with themember states. Together with thechair of the NATO Military Committee and thesupreme allied commander, the officeholder is one of the foremost officials of NATO.
The current secretary general is former Dutch prime ministerMark Rutte, who took office on 1 October 2024.[2]
Article 9 of theNorth Atlantic Treaty requires NATO members to "establish a Council, on which each of them shall be represented."[3] Accordingly, theNorth Atlantic Council was formed. Initially the Council consisted of NATO members' foreign ministers and met annually.[4] In May 1950, the desire for closer coordination on a day-to-day basis led to the appointment of Council deputies, permanently based inLondon and overseeing the workings of the organization. Deputies were given full decision-making authority within the North Atlantic Council, but their work was supplemented by occasional meetings of the NATO foreign ministers.[5] The chairman of the deputies was given responsibility "for directing the organization and its work," including all of its civilian agencies.[6]
The Council deputies met for the first time on July 25, 1950, and selectedCharles Spofford, the United States deputy, as their chairman.[7] Several important organisational changes quickly followed the establishment of Council deputies, most notably the establishment of a unified military command under a singlesupreme allied commander.[8] This unification and the growing challenges facing NATO led to rapid growth in the institutions of the organisation and in 1951, NATO was reorganized to streamline and centralize its bureaucracy. As part of the organization, the Council deputies were delegated with the authority to represent their governments in all matters, including those related to defense and finance, not just foreign affairs, greatly increasing their power and importance.[9]
As the authority of the deputies increased, and the size of the organization grew, NATO established the Temporary Council Committee, chaired byW. Averell Harriman. This group established an official secretariat in Paris to command NATO's bureaucracy.[10] The committee also recommended that "the agencies of NATO needed to be strengthened and co-ordinate", and emphasized the need for someone other than the chairman of the North Atlantic Council to become the senior leader of the alliance.[11] In February 1952, North Atlantic Council accordingly established the position of secretary general to manage all civilian agencies of the organization, control its civilian staff, and serve the North Atlantic Council.[12]
.jpg)
After the Lisbon Conference, the NATO states began looking for a person who could fill the role of secretary general. The position was first offered toOliver Franks, theBritish ambassador to the United States, but he declined. Then, on March 12, 1952, the North Atlantic Council selectedHastings Ismay, a general from theSecond World War, andsecretary of state for commonwealth relations in the British cabinet as secretary general.[13] Unlike later secretaries general who served as chairman of the North Atlantic Council, Ismay was made the vice chairman of the council, with Spofford continuing to serve as chairman. Ismay was selected because of his high rank in the war, and his role "at the side ofChurchill ... in the highest Allied Councils." As both a soldier and a diplomat, he was considered uniquely qualified for the position, and enjoyed the full support of all the NATO states.[14]Several months later, after Spofford retired from NATO, the structure of the North Atlantic Council was changed slightly. One member of the council was selected annually as the president of the North Atlantic Council (a largely ceremonial role), and the secretary general officially became the deputy president of the council, as well as the chair of its meetings.[15] Ismay served as secretary general until retiring in May, 1957.[16]
%2c_Secretary_of_Defense_Ash_Carter%2c_German_Minister_of_Defense_Ursula_von_der_Leyen_and_NATO_Secretary_General_Jens_Stoltenberg_meet_151008-D-LN567-076.jpg)
After Ismay,Paul-Henri Spaak, an international diplomat and formerprime minister of Belgium, was selected as the second secretary general. Unlike Ismay, Spaak had no military experience, so his appointment represented a "deemphasis of the strictly military side of the Atlantic Alliance."[17] When confirming Spaak's appointment in December 1956 during a session of the NATO foreign ministers, the North Atlantic Council also expanded the role of the secretary general in the organization. Largely as a result of the Suez Crisis, which had strained intra-alliance relations, the council issued a resolution to allow the secretary general "to offer his good offices informally at any time to member governments involved in a dispute and with their consent to initiate or facilitate procedures of inquiry, mediation, conciliation, or arbitration."[18]
The NATO countries selected the first secretary general on 4 April 1952. Since that time, twelve different diplomats have served officially as secretary general. Eight countries have been represented, with four secretaries general hailing from the Netherlands, three from the United Kingdom, two from Belgium and one each from Italy, Germany, Spain, Denmark and Norway. The position has also been occupied temporarily on three occasions by an acting secretary general between appointments.
| No. | Portrait | Secretary General | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Previous office | Country of origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Ismay, HastingsGeneral Hastings Ismay 1st Baron Ismay (1887–1965) | 24 March 1952 | 16 May 1957 | 5 years, 53 days | Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations |  United Kingdom |
| 2 |  | Spaak, Paul-HenriPaul-Henri Spaak (1899–1972) | 16 May 1957 | 21 April 1961 | 3 years, 340 days | Prime Minister of Belgium |  Belgium |
| 3 |  | Stikker, DirkDirk Stikker (1897–1979) [a] | 21 April 1961 | 1 August 1964 | 3 years, 102 days | Minister of Foreign Affairs |  Netherlands |
| 4 |  | Brosio, ManlioManlio Brosio (1897–1980) | 1 August 1964 | 1 October 1971 | 7 years, 61 days | Ambassador to the United Kingdom |  Italy |
| 5 |  | Luns, JosephJoseph Luns (1911–2002) | 1 October 1971 | 25 June 1984 | 12 years, 268 days | Minister of Foreign Affairs | Netherlands |
| 6 |  | Carrington, PeterPeter Carington 6th Baron Carrington (1919–2018) | 25 June 1984 | 1 July 1988 | 4 years, 6 days | Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | United Kingdom |
| 7 | .jpg) | Wörner, ManfredManfred Wörner (1934–1994) [b] | 1 July 1988 | 13 August 1994 † | 6 years, 43 days | Minister of Defence |  Germany |
| – | .jpg) | Balanzino, SergioSergio Balanzino (1934–2018) Acting | 13 August 1994 | 17 October 1994 | 65 days | Deputy Secretary General of NATO | Italy |
| 8 |  | Claes, WillyWilly Claes (born 1938) [c] | 17 October 1994 | 20 October 1995 | 1 year, 3 days | Minister of Foreign Affairs | Belgium |
| – | | Balanzino, SergioSergio Balanzino (1934–2018) Acting | 20 October 1995 | 5 December 1995 | 46 days | Deputy Secretary General of NATO | Italy |
| 9 |  | Solana, JavierJavier Solana (born 1942) | 5 December 1995 | 14 October 1999 | 3 years, 313 days | Minister of Foreign Affairs |  Spain |
| 10 |  | Robertson, GeorgeGeorge Robertson Baron Robertson of Port Ellen (born 1946) [d] | 14 October 1999 | 17 December 2003 | 4 years, 64 days | Secretary of State for Defence | United Kingdom |
| – |  | Minuto-Rizzo, AlessandroAlessandro Minuto-Rizzo (born 1940) Acting | 17 December 2003 | 1 January 2004 | 15 days | Deputy Secretary General of NATO |  Italy |
| 11 | .jpg) | Scheffer, Jaap de HoopJaap de Hoop Scheffer (born 1948) [e] | 1 January 2004 | 1 August 2009 | 5 years, 212 days | Minister of Foreign Affairs | Netherlands |
| 12 |  | Rasmussen, Anders FoghAnders Fogh Rasmussen (born 1953) | 1 August 2009 | 1 October 2014 | 5 years, 61 days | Prime Minister of Denmark |  Denmark |
| 13 |  | Stoltenberg, JensJens Stoltenberg (born 1959) | 1 October 2014 | 1 October 2024 | 10 years, 0 days | Prime Minister of Norway |  Norway |
| 14 | | Rutte, MarkMark Rutte (born 1967) | 1 October 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 137 days | Prime Minister of the Netherlands | Netherlands |
The NATO secretary general chairs several of the senior decision-making bodies of NATO. In addition to the North Atlantic Council, he chairs theDefence Planning Committee and theNuclear Planning Committee, two of NATO's important military organizations. The secretary general also leads theEuro-Atlantic Partnership Council, theMediterranean Cooperation Group, and serves as joint chairman of thePermanent Joint Council and theNATO-Ukraine Commission.
In a second role, the secretary general leads the staff of NATO. He directs the international staff of the organization, and the Office of the Secretary General. The secretary general also directs his or her ownprivate office. All of these bodies draw personnel from all members of NATO, so the secretary general must carefully coordinate.[27] For assistance in his responsibilities, the secretary general also has a deputy appointed by the organization.
There is no formal process for selecting the secretary general. The members of NATO traditionally reach a consensus on who should serve next. This procedure often takes place through informal diplomatic channels, but it still can become contentious. For example, in 2009, controversy arose over the choice ofAnders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary general, due to opposition fromTurkey.[28]
NATO's chief military officer, thesupreme allied commander Europe, is traditionally an American, and the secretary general has traditionally been a European. However, there is nothing in NATO's charter that would preclude a Canadian or American from becoming the secretary general.[29]
| # | Name | Country | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonkheer van Vredenburch | Netherlands | 1952–1956 |
| 2 | Baron Adolph Bentinck | 1956–1958 | |
| 3 | Alberico Casardi | Italy | 1958–1962 |
| 4 | Guido Colonna di Paliano | 1962–1964 | |
| 5 | James A. Roberts |  Canada | 1964–1968 |
| 6 | Osman Esim Olcay |  Turkey | 1969–1971 |
| 7 | Paolo Pansa Cedronio | Italy | 1971–1978 |
| 8 | Rinaldo Petrignani | 1978–1981 | |
| 9 | Eric da Rin | 1981–1985 | |
| 10 | Marcello Guidi | 1985–1989 | |
| 11 | Amedeo de Franchis | 1989–1994 | |
| 12 | Sergio Balanzino | 1994–2001 | |
| 13 | Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo | 2001–2007 | |
| 14 | Claudio Bisogniero | 2007–2012 | |
| 15 | Alexander Vershbow |  United States | 2012–2016 |
| 16 | Rose Gottemoeller | 2016–2019 | |
| 17 | Mircea Geoană |  Romania | 2019–2024 |
| 18 | Radmila Šekerinska |  North Macedonia | 2024– |
Media related toNATO Secretaries General at Wikimedia Commons
