Following difficulties in finding a replacement for the leadership of NATO, the member countries have decided to extend Jens Stoltenberg’s tenure as the head of the alliance for an additional year.
The announcement has been made a week ahead of a summit of NATO leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania that will be mostly focusing on the Western military alliance’s response to the conflict and Kyiv’s push for membership.

“Honoured by NATO allies’ decision to extend my term as secretary general until 1 October 2024,” Stoltenberg, 64, said in a statement. “In a more dangerous world, our alliance is more important than ever.”

The 31 NATO countries decided to extend Stoltenberg’s term after failing to agree on a replacement.

The former prime minister of Norway, Stoltenberg, has been the alliance’s boss since 2014 and his tenure has already been extended thrice previously.

He is widely seen as a steady leader and a patient consensus-builder across the alliance. He also won widespread appreciation for guiding the alliance throughout former US President Donald Trump’s presidency who openly conjectured about taking the US out of NATO.

Joe Biden hails decision
United States President Joe Biden welcomed the extension of Stoltenberg’s contract calling the military alliance “stronger, more united and purposeful than it has ever been.”

“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,” Biden said in a statement.