Secretary General of NATO facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Flag of NATO
Logo of NATO
Incumbent Mark Rutte since 1 October 2024
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
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

The Secretary General of NATO is the main leader of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO is a group of 32 countries that work together for safety and defense. The Secretary General is like a top manager and spokesperson for this important group.

This person helps coordinate how the alliance works. They lead NATO's international staff, which is like their team. They also lead most of the important meetings, like those of the North Atlantic Council. However, they do not lead the military meetings.

The Secretary General does not command soldiers. Decisions about politics, military actions, and overall plans are made by the member countries. The Secretary General works closely with other top officials, like the head of the NATO Military Committee.

The current Secretary General is Mark Rutte. He used to be the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. He started his role on October 1, 2024.

How the Role Started
Who Has Been Secretary General?
What the Secretary General Does
How a Secretary General is Chosen
Deputy Secretary General
See also

How the Role Started

NATO was formed to help countries protect each other. In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed. This treaty said that NATO members needed to create a council. This council would have representatives from each country.

At first, the North Atlantic Council met once a year. It was made up of the foreign ministers from each NATO country. But soon, they realized they needed to work together more often. So, in 1950, they decided to have "Council deputies." These deputies were based in London and worked full-time. They helped manage the organization every day.

The deputies were given the power to make decisions for the Council. Their first chairman was Charles Spofford from the United States. As NATO grew, it became more organized. In 1951, NATO was restructured to make its operations smoother. The deputies gained more power. They could represent their governments on all matters, including defense and money.

Secretary General Joseph Luns meets with United States Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger in 1983.

Because the organization was growing, NATO decided it needed a single senior leader. This person would manage all the civilian parts of NATO. In February 1952, the position of Secretary General was officially created. This new leader would control the civilian staff and lead the North Atlantic Council meetings.

The first person chosen for this big job was Hastings Ismay. He was a general from World War II and a British politician. He started on March 24, 1952. Ismay was chosen because of his military background and his experience as a diplomat. He had strong support from all NATO countries.

After Ismay retired in 1957, Paul-Henri Spaak became the second Secretary General. Spaak was a diplomat and former Prime Minister of Belgium. He did not have military experience. His appointment showed that NATO was also focusing on political and diplomatic issues. The Council even gave the Secretary General more power to help solve disagreements between member countries.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (right) with other defense leaders in 2015.

Who Has Been Secretary General?

The first Secretary General was chosen in 1952. Since then, twelve different people have held this important job. They have come from eight different countries. The Netherlands has had four Secretaries General. The United Kingdom has had three. Belgium has had two. Italy, Germany, Spain, Denmark, and Norway have each had one. Sometimes, when a Secretary General leaves, a temporary "acting" Secretary General steps in.

No.	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)	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	Wörner, ManfredManfred Wörner (1934–1994)	1 July 1988	13 August 1994 †	6 years, 43 days	Minister of Defence	Germany
–	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)	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)	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	Scheffer, Jaap de HoopJaap de Hoop Scheffer (born 1948)	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	298 days	Prime Minister of the Netherlands	Netherlands

What the Secretary General Does

The NATO Secretary General leads several important groups within NATO. They chair the Defence Planning Committee. They also lead the Nuclear Planning Committee. These are key military organizations.

The Secretary General also leads the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. This group helps NATO work with other countries. They also lead the Mediterranean Cooperation Group. This group focuses on cooperation in the Mediterranean region. They are also a joint leader of the Permanent Joint Council and the NATO-Ukraine Commission.

Another main job is leading NATO's staff. The Secretary General directs the international staff. This staff includes people from all NATO member countries. They also have their own private office to help them. To assist with all these duties, the Secretary General has a deputy. This deputy is 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:

JFCBS Brunssum, NL

JWC Stavanger, NO

AIRCOM Ramstein, DE

JALLC Lisbon, PT

MARCOM Northwood, GB

JFTC Bydgoszcz, PL

LANDCOM İzmir, TR

CIS GP Mons, BE

JFCNP Naples, IT

JFC-NF Norfolk, Virginia, US

How a Secretary General is Chosen

There is no strict rule for how the Secretary General is picked. Instead, the NATO member countries usually agree on one person. This decision often happens through informal talks between countries.

The top military leader of NATO, called the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, is usually from the United States. The Secretary General has traditionally been from a European country. However, there is nothing in NATO's rules that says a Canadian or American cannot become the Secretary General.

Deputy Secretary General

The Deputy Secretary General helps the Secretary General. This person is also very important in NATO's leadership.

List of deputy secretaries general of NATO
#	Name	Country	Duration
1	Jonkheer van Vredenburch	Netherlands	1952–1956
2	Baron Adolph Bentinck	Netherlands	1956–1958
3	Alberico Casardi	Italy	1958–1962
4	Guido Colonna di Paliano	Italy	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	Italy	1978–1981
9	Eric da Rin	Italy	1981–1985
10	Marcello Guidi	Italy	1985–1989
11	Amedeo de Franchis	Italy	1989–1994
12	Sergio Balanzino	Italy	1994–2001
13	Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo	Italy	2001–2007
14	Claudio Bisogniero	Italy	2007–2012
15	Alexander Vershbow	United States	2012–2016
16	Rose Gottemoeller	United States	2016–2019
17	Mircea Geoană	Romania	2019–2024
18	Radmila Šekerinska	North Macedonia	2024–