List of all NATO Secretary Generals Since 1949
NATO – the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – is a military alliance based on a 1949 Treaty. The “NATO Secretary General” heads the alliance and is generally chosen by consensus. 14 different Secretary General of NATO terms have be served to date with 3 acting NATO secretary generals. Jens Stoltenberg was succeeded by Mark Rutte of Netherland in October 2024. Each member state (currently 30 in total) agrees to defend any other member who comes under attack. This has only ever happened once – after the 9/11 World Trade Tower attacks in New York and led to the deployment of troops in Afghanistan.
- ADDucation’s list of all NATO Secretary Generals was compiled by Robert Junker and last updated 25 Oct 2024.
ADDucation Tips: Click column headings with arrows to sort NATO Secretary Generals list. Reload page for original sort order. Resize your browser to full screen and/or zoom out to display as many columns as possible. Click the ➕ icon to reveal any hidden columns.
| NATO Secretary Generals |
Tenure | Nationality | # | Born / Died | Achievements, roles, previous offices etc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baron Hastings Ismay | 1952-1957 | Great Britain | 1 | 1887-1965 | Ismay joined the British Army 1905 in the British Army. Served as a soldier in India and Somaliland among other places. |
| Paul-Henri Spaak | 1957-1961 | Belgium | 2 | 1899-1972 | Spaak is regarded by all NATO Secretaries Generals as one of the EU’s founding fathers. |
| Dirk Stikker | 1961-1964 | Netherlands | 3 | 1897-1979 | Stikker resigned due to health problems while in Office. |
| Manlio Giovanni Brosio | 1964-1971 | Italy | 4 | 1897-1980 | Brosio demonstrated his diplomatic skills during the 1968 invasion of Prague by the Russians. |
| Joseph Luns | 1971-1984 | Netherlands | 5 | 1911-2002 | Luns was Dutch Foreign Minister from 1952-1971 and signed the Treaty of Rome for the Netherlands. |
| Baron Peter Carington | 1984-1988 | Great Britain | 6 | 1919 | Carington was Secretary of State for Defense from 1970-1974 and Foreign Secretary 1979-1982. Resigned because of criticism related to the Falklands war. |
| Manfred Wörner | 1988-1994 | Germany | 7 | 1934-1994 | Wörner was West German Defense Minister from 1982-1988. Died during tenure of colon cancer shortly before his 60th birthday. |
| Sergio Balanzino | 1994 | Italy | * | 1934 | Balanzino Took over only temporarily after Wörners death. |
| Willy Claes | 1994-1995 | Belgium | 8 | 1938 | Claes was deputy Prime Minister of Belgium five times between 1973 and 1992. Forced to resign over pressure relating to the “Agusta Affair” (Italian helicopter deliveries) |
| Sergio Balanzino | 1995 | Italy | * | 1934 | Balanzino took over temporarily after Claes’s resignation. |
| Javier Solana | 1995-1999 | Spain | 9 | 1942 | The Spaniard was originally an opponent of NATO, which is why the USA sharply criticized his nomination. During his term of office, it was decided to admit the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary to NATO (from 1999).
This marked the beginning of NATO’s eastward expansion, which was sharply criticized not only in Russia but also in the USA. More than 40 former US senators, members of government, US ambassadors, US disarmament and military experts feared that this would jeopardize Europe’s security and stability. |
| Baron George Robertson | 1999-2003 | Great Britain | 10 | 1946 | The former British Secretary of State for Defense (1997-1999) in Tony Blair’s government was committed to strengthening the Alliance. He wanted to ensure that it was prepared for the challenges of the 21st century, which is why he expanded NATO to include several new member states (particularly in Eastern Europe).
However, his work at NATO was controversial, as he was accused by some of being too close to the USA (especially after the Iraq war). |
| Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo | 2003-2004 | Italy | * | 1940 | Minuto-Rizzo was deputy Nato Secretary General 2001 to 2007, was acting Nato Secretary General for three weeks between 17 December 2003 and 1st January 2004. |
| Jaap de Hoop Scheffer | 2004-2009 | Netherlands | 11 | 1948 | De Hoop Scheffer viewed NATO’s main role as peacekeeping in Afghanistan. In 2011 De Hoop Scheffer stated at a NATO conference:
|
| Anders Fogh Rasmussen | 2009-2014 | Denmark | 12 | 1953 | Rasmussen was Prime Minister of Denmark from 2001-2009. After his term ended Rasmussen launched Rasmussen Global, a political consultancy focusing on NATO security policy issues, Brexit and the European Union, transatlantic relations and economic development. |
| Jens Stoltenberg | 2014-2024 | Norway | 13 | 1959 | Jens Stoltenberg was Prime Minister of Norway from 2000-2001 and 2005-2013. Along with a Ukrainian representative, Stoltenberg is chairman of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. He is also chairman of the NATO-Georgia Commission. Jens Stoltenberg’s 2020 BBC interview for Desert Island Discs reveals the interesting man behind the role. |
| Mark Rutte | since 10/2024 | Netherland | 14 | 1967 | The Dutchman, who was born in The Hague, has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010 and is regarded as an extremely experienced foreign policy expert. The prerequisite for his election as the 16th NATO Secretary General was that none of the current 32 NATO states raised objections to his candidacy (note: Romania and Hungary rejected his appointment until May 2024).
Rutte will face major challenges – regardless of the outcome of the US elections in November 2024. Particular challenges lie in finding solutions to end the war in Ukraine and the Middle East conflict. |
See also: UN Secretaries General… | International Organizations…
Notes: *Acting NATO Secretary Generals. The French term for the NATO Secretary Generals is: Secrétaire général de l’OTAN
Related ADDucation Lists of NATO Secretary Generals:
- List of the most recent USA Presidents…
- Help improve ADDucation’s NATO Secretary Generals list by adding your comments below…
