NATO extends Jens Stoltenberg’s term as secretary general

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will stay at the head of the world’s largest international military alliance for another year, he announced Tuesday.

The former Norwegian prime minister was named the secretary general in 2014. His reappointment will keep him in the role until at least October 2024.

“The transatlantic bond between Europe & North America has ensured our freedom & security for nearly 75 years, and in a more dangerous world, our Alliance is more important than ever,” Stoltenberg said in an announcement on Twitter.

He was reportedly not interested in a fourth term as secretary general but was pressured by member states given the alliance’s relevance to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The announcement comes just before alliance leaders meet July 11 in Vilnius, Lithuania, for an annual summit.

President Biden plans to attend the summit on behalf of the U.S., which is expected to focus on the alliance’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Biden welcomed the Tuesday announcement.

“With his steady leadership, experience, and judgement, Secretary General Stoltenberg has brought our Alliance through the most significant challenges in European security since World War II,” he said in a statement. “Today, our Alliance is stronger, more united and purposeful than it has ever been.”

Stoltenberg has overseen growth of NATO, including the accession of Montenegro in 2017, North Macedonia in 2020 and most recently Finland earlier this year. 

Most NATO members are attempting to add Sweden to the alliance as well, though attempts have been halted over concerns from Turkey. Similarly, Stoltenberg has advocated for the accession of Georgia.

“With his steady leadership, experience, and judgment, Secretary General Stoltenberg has brought our Alliance through the most significant challenges in European security since World War II,” Biden said in a statement. 

“Today, our Alliance is stronger, more united and purposeful than it has ever been.”

Stoltenberg has often tread a middle path on controversial issues in the alliance, including the increasingly authoritarian behavior of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that has drawn the criticism of other members. 

He also refused to battle with former President Trump, who repeatedly threatened to remove the U.S. from the alliance entirely.

Norway was a founding member of NATO in 1949, and Stoltenberg is the first Norwegian to lead the alliance.