Secretary General of NATO facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
|
---|---|
![]() Flag of NATO
|
|
![]() Logo of NATO
|
|
North Atlantic Treaty Organization | |
Member of | North Atlantic Council |
Seat | NATO headquarters |
Appointer | Member states |
Term length | Four years, renewable |
Formation | 24 March 1952 |
First holder | Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay |
Deputy | Deputy Secretary General |
The Secretary General of NATO is the main civilian leader of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO is a group of 32 countries that work together for military defense.
The Secretary General is like a top international diplomat. Their job is to help coordinate how the alliance works. They also lead NATO's international staff, which is a team of people from all member countries.
This person also leads most of NATO's important meetings, like those of the North Atlantic Council. They are also the main spokesperson for NATO. However, the Secretary General does not command any military forces. Big decisions about politics, military, and strategy are made by the member countries.
The Secretary General works closely with other important NATO officials. These include the Chair of the NATO Military Committee and the Supreme Allied Commander.
The current Secretary General is Mark Rutte, who used to be the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. He started his role on October 1, 2024.
Contents
History of the Role
NATO was formed to protect its members. The North Atlantic Treaty said that members needed to create a "Council." This Council, called the North Atlantic Council, was made up of foreign ministers from each NATO country. They met once a year.
In 1950, countries wanted to work together more closely every day. So, they decided to appoint "Council deputies." These deputies were based in London and helped manage the organization daily. They could make decisions for the North Atlantic Council.
As NATO grew, especially with a new unified military command, it needed a stronger way to manage everything. In 1951, NATO was reorganized. The Council deputies were given more power to represent their governments on all matters, not just foreign affairs.
In 1952, NATO decided it needed a single senior leader. This leader would manage all the civilian parts of the organization. This led to the creation of the Secretary General position.
The first person chosen for this role was Hastings Ismay. He was a general from World War II and a British government official. He was seen as a good choice because he had experience as both a soldier and a diplomat. He started his role on March 24, 1952.
After Ismay retired in 1957, Paul-Henri Spaak became the second Secretary General. He was a diplomat and former Prime Minister of Belgium. Unlike Ismay, Spaak did not have military experience. His appointment showed that NATO was also focusing on political cooperation, not just military matters.
After a disagreement among NATO countries called the Suez Crisis, the Secretary General's role grew. They were given the power to help solve problems between member governments. This meant they could offer to help discuss, mediate, or arbitrate disputes.



List of NATO Secretaries General
The first Secretary General was chosen in 1952. Since then, twelve different diplomats have officially held the position. They have come from eight different countries. The United Kingdom has had three, the Netherlands four, Belgium two, and Italy, Germany, Spain, Denmark, and Norway one each. Sometimes, an acting Secretary General has temporarily filled the role between official appointments.
No. | Portrait | Secretary General | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Previous office | Country of origin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hastings Ismay 1st Baron Ismay (1887–1965) |
General24 March 1952 | 16 May 1957 | 5 years, 53 days | Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations |
![]() |
|
2 | Paul-Henri Spaak (1899–1972) |
16 May 1957 | 21 April 1961 | 3 years, 340 days | Prime Minister of Belgium | ![]() |
|
3 | Dirk Stikker (1897–1979) |
21 April 1961 | 1 August 1964 | 3 years, 102 days | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ![]() |
|
4 | Manlio Brosio (1897–1980) |
1 August 1964 | 1 October 1971 | 7 years, 61 days | Ambassador to the United Kingdom |
![]() |
|
5 | Joseph Luns (1911–2002) |
1 October 1971 | 25 June 1984 | 12 years, 268 days | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ![]() |
|
6 | Peter Carington 6th Baron Carrington (1919–2018) |
25 June 1984 | 1 July 1988 | 4 years, 6 days | Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs |
![]() |
|
7 | Manfred Wörner (1934–1994) |
1 July 1988 | 13 August 1994 † | 6 years, 43 days | Minister of Defence | ![]() |
|
– | Sergio Balanzino (1934–2018) Acting |
13 August 1994 | 17 October 1994 | 65 days | Deputy Secretary General of NATO |
![]() |
|
8 | Willy Claes (born 1938) |
17 October 1994 | 20 October 1995 | 1 year, 3 days | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ![]() |
|
– | Sergio Balanzino (1934–2018) Acting |
20 October 1995 | 5 December 1995 | 46 days | Deputy Secretary General of NATO |
![]() |
|
9 | Javier Solana (born 1942) |
5 December 1995 | 14 October 1999 | 3 years, 313 days | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ![]() |
|
10 | George Robertson Baron Robertson of Port Ellen (born 1946) |
14 October 1999 | 17 December 2003 | 4 years, 64 days | Secretary of State for Defence | ![]() |
|
– | Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo (born 1940) Acting |
17 December 2003 | 1 January 2004 | 15 days | Deputy Secretary General of NATO |
![]() |
|
11 | Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (born 1948) |
1 January 2004 | 1 August 2009 | 5 years, 212 days | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ![]() |
|
12 | Anders Fogh Rasmussen (born 1953) |
1 August 2009 | 1 October 2014 | 5 years, 61 days | Prime Minister of Denmark | ![]() |
|
13 | Jens Stoltenberg (born 1959) |
1 October 2014 | 1 October 2024 | 10 years, 0 days | Prime Minister of Norway | ![]() |
|
14 | Mark Rutte (born 1967) |
1 October 2024 | Incumbent | 265 days | Prime Minister of the Netherlands | ![]() |
What the Secretary General Does
The NATO Secretary General leads several important groups within NATO. Besides the North Atlantic Council, they also lead the Defence Planning Committee and the Nuclear Planning Committee. These are key military organizations.
The Secretary General also leads the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Mediterranean Cooperation Group. They also co-chair the Permanent Joint Council and the NATO-Ukraine Commission.
Another big part of the job is leading NATO's staff. The Secretary General manages the international staff, which includes people from all NATO member countries. This means they must work carefully to coordinate everyone. They also have their own personal team to help them.
To help with all these duties, the Secretary General has a deputy. This deputy is also appointed by the organization. The NATO Military Command Structure consists of two strategic commands, directed by the International Military Staff:
The commands under SACEUR - Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, Allied Joint Force Command Naples and Joint Force Command Norfolk are Operational Level Commands, while Headquarters Allied Air Command, Headquarters Allied Maritime Command and Headquarters Allied Land Command are Tactical Level Commands. SACEUR also has operational command of the Joint Support and Enabling Command.
- Liaison: Provides advice and support to the NAC
Political strategic level: | |||||||||||||||||||
North Atlantic Council | |||||||||||||||||||
Secretary General of NATO Brussels, BE |
International Staff Brussels, BE |
||||||||||||||||||
Military strategic level: | |||||||||||||||||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Chair of the NATO Military Committee International Military Staff
Brussels, BE |
|||||||||||||||||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() SACEUR (ACO, SHAPE) Mons, BE |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() SACT (ACT, HQ SACT) Norfolk, US |
||||||||||||||||||
Operational level: | |||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||
How the Secretary General is Chosen
There isn't a strict rulebook for choosing the Secretary General. Instead, the NATO member countries usually agree on a person together. This often happens through informal talks between diplomats.
Sometimes, choosing a new Secretary General can be tricky. For example, in 2009, there was some disagreement about choosing Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Turkey had some objections at the time.
Traditionally, the top military leader of NATO, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, is from the United States. The Secretary General is usually from a European country. However, NATO's rules do not stop someone from Canada or the United States from becoming Secretary General.
Deputy Secretary General
# | Name | Country | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Jonkheer van Vredenburch | ![]() |
1952–1956 |
2 | Baron Adolph Bentinck | ![]() |
1956–1958 |
3 | Alberico Casardi | ![]() |
1958–1962 |
4 | Guido Colonna di Paliano | ![]() |
1962–1964 |
5 | James A. Roberts | ![]() |
1964–1968 |
6 | Osman Esim Olcay | ![]() |
1969–1971 |
7 | Paolo Pansa Cedronio | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
2012–2016 |
16 | Rose Gottemoeller | ![]() |
2016–2019 |
17 | Mircea Geoană | ![]() |
2019–2024 |
18 | Radmila Šekerinska | ![]() |
2024– |
See also
- Supreme Allied Commander Europe
- Chairman of the NATO Military Committee
- Secretary General of the CSTO – Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) equivalent