NATO News

NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and the Directorate General Fire Safety and Civil Protection (DG FSCP) of Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior are organizing NATO’s 20th Emergency Management exercise, “BULGARIA 2025”. The conduct of BULGARIA 2025 will be from 7 September 2025 to 12 September 2025.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska participated in a working session on Ukraine at an informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Copenhagen on Friday (29 August 2025).

Hua Hin, Thailand - From 26 to 28 August 2025, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, attended the annual Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference co-hosted by Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, and by General Noonpackdee Songwit, Chief of Defence Forces of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. This year’s edition took place in Hua Hin, Thailand, with the theme “Peace through Strength - Ensuring Security and Prosperity in the lndo-Pacific”.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte travelled to Germany on 27-28 August to speak at the opening ceremony of a new Rheinmetall artillery plant and address a conference of the CDU/CSU and SPD parliamentary groups from the German Bundestag.

On 28-29 August 2025, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, will visit Copenhagen, Denmark, to attend the informal meeting of EU Ministers of Defence.

NATO collects defence expenditure data from Allies and publishes it on a regular basis. Each Ally’s Ministry of Defence reports current and estimated future defence expenditure according to an agreed definition. The amounts represent payments by a national government that have been or will be made during the course of the fiscal year to meet the needs of its armed forces, those of Allies or of the Alliance. In the figures and tables that follow, NATO also uses economic and demographic information available from the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission (DG ECFIN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

On 27 and 28 August 2025, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will visit Germany.

On Monday (25 August 2025), NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska addressed the Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy remotely from NATO Headquarters. In the plenary session titled “Our region in a new strategic reality,” she highlighted Romania’s contributions to collective security, including in deterrence and defence, Black Sea security, and support for Ukraine.

Canada announced today (24 August 2025) that it will fund a $500 million package of military equipment and munitions for Ukraine sourced from the United States, under NATO’s new Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the announcement as a strong demonstration of Canada’s enduring commitment to Ukraine’s defence.

On Monday, 25 August 2025, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, will deliver a speech at the Annual meeting of Romanian Diplomacy.

(As delivered)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced today (19 August 2025) that the 2026 NATO Summit will be held on 7 and 8 July 2026 at the Beştepe Presidential Compound (Külliye) in Ankara, Türkiye.

On 18 August 2025, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will visit Washington D.C.

On Sunday, 17 August 2025, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will participate in a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, hosted by the President of France, Mr Emmanuel Macron, the Chancellor of Germany, Mr Friedrich Merz, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer.

The North Atlantic Council has appointed Mr Sébastien Lepers as Chair of the NATO International Board of Auditors (IBAN) for a two-year mandate, effective 1 August 2025. Born in 1973 in Nouméa, New Caledonia (France), Mr Lepers brings to this role a distinguished career in public administration, defence operations, and international auditing.

Germany announced today (13 August 2025) that it will fund a $500 million package of military equipment and munitions for Ukraine sourced from the United States, under NATO’s new Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the announcement as a strong demonstration of Germany’s enduring commitment to Ukraine’s defence.

NATO and Bulgaria are holding one of the world’s largest and most complex emergency management exercises, from 7 to 12 September 2025, at the Professional Training Centre for first responders in Montana, Bulgaria.

On Wednesday, 13 August 2025, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will participate in the virtual meetings of European leaders, the US and Ukraine, hosted by the Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz to discuss Ukraine.

On 15 July 2025, at NATO HQ, the International Military Staff (IMS) Office of the Gender Advisor (GENAD) hosted its monthly “Deep Dive” session, this time focused on the strategies employed to foster the recruitment and retention of women in the armed forces of NATO Allies.

On 6 August 2025, NATO approved the public version of its Data Quality Framework, a cornerstone of the Alliance’s digital transformation. This strategic guidance reinforces NATO’s commitment to harnessing data as a critical asset for operational advantage.