NATO News

NATO Allies gathered for the REPMUS 24 exercise in Portugal to test the ability of autonomous systems to operate together and to increase Alliance understanding of new threats in the maritime environment. They are joined by representatives of partner countries and organisations, NATO commands, research institutions and industry. REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems) is the world’s leading experimentation exercise with maritime unmanned systems. REPMUS 24 is being held around the Troia Peninsula in Portugal from 9 to 27 September 2024.

From 10 to 20 September 2024, over 450 participants from 19 NATO Allies and three partner-countries gathered in the Netherlands to test the ability of commercially available counter-drone systems to operate seamlessly together. Ukraine participated for the first time, alongside members of the private sector and research community.

Speaking at an event hosted by the German Marshall Fund on Thursday (19 September 2024), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shared five key lessons for NATO’s continued success following a decisive decade at the helm of NATO.

NATO’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, Javier Colomina, travelled to the Arab Republic of Egypt on 17 and 18 September 2024 for his first visit to the region in this new capacity. He met with high level officials, including from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to take stock of NATO-Egypt relations and exchange views on regional security issues.

Myriam Andaloro is a Digital and Cultural Consultant at the NATO Strategic Direction-South Hub – the centre dedicated to increasing NATO’s understanding of and cooperation with partners across the Middle East and Africa. An Italian national of Lebanese descent, Myriam works to establish appropriate and respectful communication with NATO’s southern neighbours by reducing the risk for cultural misunderstandings and raising awareness about cultural sensitivities.

Georgia and NATO marked the 10th anniversary of the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP) at the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre (JTEC) near Tbilisi, on 17 September 2024, at a ceremony attended by senior officials from NATO and Georgia.

NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Operations, Tom Goffus, joined Mr. Stefano Tomat, Civilian Operations Commander at the European Union External Action Service, in separate meetings with the chief negotiators of Belgrade and Pristina. The meetings took place in the margins of the EU-facilitated Dialogue hosted by the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkans issues, Mr. Miroslav Lajcak.

On 19 September 2024, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Jens Stoltenberg, will give a speech marking the end of his tenure, followed by a conversation moderated by Bettina Klein from German Public Radio.

Representatives from the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Moldova visited NATO Headquarters on 10 September 2024, where they met with a range of officials from NATO’s International Staff and experts in the domain of defence education.

Today, 14 September 2024, NATO’s highest Military Authority meets in Prague, Czech Republic, for the annual Military Committee Conference. The meeting will discuss military strategic developments within the Alliance, in light of the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Washington DC in July 2024.

Today at the NATO Military Committee Conference in Prague, the Allied Chiefs of Defence elected Major General Remigijus Baltrenas to be the next Director of the NATO International Military Staff (DGIMS). The DGIMS is appointed by the NATO Chiefs of Defence (CHOD) to head the Alliance’s International Military Staff for a term of three years. Major General Remigijus Baltrenas will take up the position in July 2025 when Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak tenure ends.

At the invitation of Lieutenant General Karel Řehka, Chief of the Czech Armed Forces, the Allied Chiefs of Defence gathered in Prague from 13 to 15 September 2024 for their annual Military Committee Conference. On the agenda was the implementation of the decisions taken at the Washington Summit in July 2024. The Chiefs of Defence discussed how NATO will bolster its deterrence and defence while at the same time ramping up its support for Ukraine.

Acting NATO Deputy Secretary General Boris Ruge visited Montenegro on Friday (13 September 2024). In Podgorica he met with President Jakov Milatović, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, Deputy Prime Minister Ervin Ibrahimović, and Defence Minister Dragan Krapović. Amb. Ruge also met with members of civil society.

Russia Policy Directors from across the Alliance convened with experts from NATO Headquarters and beyond on Thursday (12 September) to accelerate the ongoing work on NATO’s strategic approach to Russia.

From 11 to 12 September 2024, Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer participated in the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) in the Republic of Korea. During the opening session on “Deterring War and Preserving Rules-Based International Order” Admiral Bauer delivered a key note address on the importance of Partnerships in an increasingly divided world. During the conference, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee conducted bilateral meetings with the Minister of National Defence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea, as well as the Minister of Defence of Mongolia.

On Wednesday (11 September 2024), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed the Fourth Summit of the International Crimea Platform. In his video message he described how the decisions taken at NATO’s Washington Summit would “make Ukraine stronger, save lives and help Ukraine prevail.”

On Tuesday, 1 October 2024, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s tenure will come to an end. He will be succeeded by Mr Mark Rutte, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

On Tuesday (10 September 2024), Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană was awarded the NATO Meritorious Service Medal by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for his service to the Alliance.

The NATO Through Time podcast dives deep into NATO’s history, reflecting on how the past influences the present – and future – of the longest-lasting alliance in history. This episode features former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson, who was in office during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and led the Alliance through the declaration of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty for the first and only time in its history.