Nato

Former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte takes charge in top job at Nato

Mark Rutte is officially the new Nato Secretary General, marking the first time in a decade the top job in the alliance has changed hands.

Former Dutch prime minister and staunch Vladimir Putin critic, Mr Rutte, 57, governed for 14 years from 2010 to become the Netherlands' longest-serving leader.

He now takes over from Jens Stoltenberg and must persuade Nato members to support the policy ideas he comes up with, to gain a consensus on key defence matters, at a crucial time for European security.

Mr Rutte is expected to push for continued military aid to Ukraine and for greater defence spending throughout the alliance – perhaps beyond the target 2% of GDP certain members are failing to meet.

In his previous role, the new alliance chief has been at the forefront of European support for Ukraine since the invasion.

He must now assure Nato's eastern flank members the region is sufficiently protected, with thousands of extra troops deployed to there since Russia's cross-border offensive in 2022.

With a US election looming, Mr Rutte will also look to keep its most influential member state engaged in European security, no matter who's leading it.

Former Nato official Jamie Shea told the Sitrep podcast in June the Secretary General must "set the agenda" for the allies in the North Atlantic Council and become a "super troubleshooter" when mediating problems between allies.

"Working the diplomatic machinery" requires "physical stamina" too, explains Mr Shea, as Mr Rutte will have to visit 32 allied nations frequently, along with partners like New Zealand.

"Somebody like Rutte, who's managed four coalition governments in the Netherlands, knows a lot about getting difficult customers around the table and getting them to sign up to policies," he said.