NATO update

 

23 January 2026 Update

NATO Secretary General discusses transatlantic security, champions defence investments and Ukraine support in Davos NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, engaging in high-level discussions on global security and resilience.  Participating in the panel "Can Europe defend itself?", Mr Rutte stressed the importance of transatlantic cooperation and highlighted the need for European Allies to continue investing more in defence, while urging industries to ramp up production and innovation in areas like artificial intelligence and drones. Read more

Top NATO military authorities meet in Brussels The 194th NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence session took place at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium this week. The Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the 32 Allied Chiefs of Defence and the two Strategic Commanders, General Alexus G. Grynkewich and Admiral Pierre Vandier, met to discuss how NATO, from a military standpoint, can address the security challenges and opportunities of the current global security environment. Read more NATO-Azerbaijan relations on a solid track, as Deputy Secretary General wraps up her visit to Azerbaijan On 21-22 January 2026, NATO’s Deputy Secretary General, Radmila Shekerinska, visited Azerbaijan. She met Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Speaker of the Parliament Sahiba Gafarova and Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov. Read more NATO Secretary General hosts Denmark’s Defence Minister and Greenland’s Foreign Minister at NATO HQ On 19 January 2026, the Defence Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark, Troels Lund Poulsen, and the Foreign Minister of Greenland, Vivian Motzfeldt, visited NATO Headquarters in Brussels for a bilateral meeting with Secretary General Mark Rutte. Read more NATO Special Representative concludes his visit to Israel The NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, Javier Colomina, conducted his first official visit to Israel from 19 to 21 January 2026. He met senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence and National Security Council, with whom he discussed the regional security situation, bilateral relations, as well as Iran’s destabilising activities. Read more NATO's presence in Romania NATO’s forces in Romania stand ready to enhance security in the Black Sea Region. These forces are a potent deterrent to aggression, and a credible force capable of defending Romanian territory. Watch video

23 January 2026

NATO Secretary General to address the European Parliament On Monday 26 January 2026, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Mark Rutte, will address the European Parliament´s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) in Brussels. Media coverage The event will be streamed live on the Multimedia Centre portal of the European Parliament. Transcripts of the Secretary General’s remarks will be available on the NATO website For more information: For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

20 January 2026

NATO Secretary General to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos From 20 to 22 January 2025, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will attend the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. Mr Rutte will participate in a range of events, including the plenary session. During the World Economic Forum, the Secretary General will also take part in the annual Ukrainian Breakfast discussion, hosted by the Yalta European Strategy and Victor Pinchuk Foundation, and moderated by Fareed Zakaria. He will also have bilateral meetings with other international leaders attending the event. Media Advisory 21 January 10:15 (CET) Plenary Session: “Can Europe defend itself?”. A panel discussion with the NATO Secretary General, the President of Finland, Mr Alexander Stubb, the President of Poland, Mr Karol Nawrocki, the President of European Investment Bank, Ms Nadia Calviño and the CEO of Sanofi, Mr Paul Hudson. 22 January 7:30 (CET) Davos Ukrainian Breakfast organised by Yalta European Strategy and Victor Pinchuk Foundation. A panel discussion with the NATO Secretary General, the President of Finland, Mr Alexander Stubb, the President of Latvia, Mr Edgars Rinkēvičs, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mr Dick Schoof, the Prime Minister of Belgium, Mr Bart De Wever, the Prime Minister of Croatia, Mr Andrej Plenković and other high level officials. Media Coverage The events will be streamed live on the WEF website. Transcripts of the Secretary General’s remarks will be available on the NATO website   For more information: For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

19 January 2026

NATO Deputy Secretary General to visit the Republic of Azerbaijan On Wednesday 21 January 2026, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, will travel to Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan. She will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Jeyhun Bayramov, the Speaker of the Parliament, Ms Sahiba Gafarova, and the Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments, Mr Elchin Amirbayov. Ms Shekerinska will also meet with think thanks representatives and NATO Allied Ambassadors. There will be no media opportunity. For more information: For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office Visite de la secrétaire générale déléguée de l’OTAN en République d’Azerbaïdjan Le mercredi 21 janvier 2026, la secrétaire générale déléguée de l’OTAN, Radmila Shekerinska, sera à Bakou, en République d’Azerbaïdjan. Elle s’entretiendra avec le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Jeyhun Bayramov, avec la présidente du Parlement, Sahiba Gafarova, et avec le représentant du président de la République d'Azerbaïdjan pour des missions spéciales, Elchin Amirbayov. Mme Shekerinska profitera de cette visite pour rencontrer des représentants de think tanks et des ambassadeurs de pays de l’OTAN. Il n’y aura pas de couverture médias. Pour de plus amples informations Questions d’ordre général : contacter le Service Presse de l’OTAN

19 January 2026 Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session - 21-22 January 2026 - updated NATO’s highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, will meet on 21-22 January 2026 in Brussels, at the Chiefs of Defence level. The Chair of the Military Committee (CMC), Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, will preside the meeting, with the participation of the 32 Allies, along with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Alexus G. Grynkewich, and Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), Admiral Pierre Vandier. Allied Chiefs of Defence will also meet with counterparts from NATO Indo-Pacific Partners, Georgia and Ukraine. In the first session, SACEUR will brief the Chiefs of Defence on the status of NATO’s readiness to bolster the Alliance’s collective deterrence and defence posture in the face of our common security challenges. During the second session, SACT will address how NATO can accelerate the delivery of relevant capabilities by supporting Nations in adopting and fielding innovation, at the right scale and pace. In the NATO-Ukraine Council format, Chiefs of Defence will also discuss the situation on the ground in Ukraine and NATO continued support to Ukraine, including the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) and the Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC). The Chair of the EU Military Committee (CEUMC) is also invited to participate in this session. The following sessions will stress the strategic role of Partnerships to address interlinked and evolving global security challenges with counterparts from NATO Indo-Pacific Partners and Georgia. CMC, SACEUR and SACT will hold a Joint Press Conference upon conclusion of the meeting. Media opportunity Wednesday 21 Jan 2026 08:30 (CET) Opening remarks by: Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee. Thursday 22 Jan 2026 13:00 (CET) Joint press conference with: Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC); General Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR); Admiral Pierre Vandier, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT). Media representatives wishing to attend the press conference are invited to contact the NATO IMS Public Affairs and Strategic Communications (PASCAD) Office via email (pascad@hq.nato.int) with a completed accreditation form no later than 1200hrs (Brussels Time) on Monday, 12 January 2026. Media representatives with permanent accreditation to NATO for 2025/26 are not required to apply for ad-hoc accreditation. Media accreditation forms Please download the accreditation form and send it via email with the required attachments: English | French In case of issues, please email pascad@hq.nato.int Once approved, Media passes will not be mailed to applicants, but must be collected in person at the Guard House South, NATO Headquarters, Boulevard Leopold III, Brussels, upon presentation of a valid ID card / passport, along with a valid national Press pass (or accreditation letter from a recognized media organisation), and a copy of the confirmation email of successful accreditation. Passes must be always worn visibly during the stay at NATO Headquarters. Security personnel may ask to check another form of ID, at any time. Media representatives are informed that security personnel will examine and may test equipment and personal effects carried onto the site. Media representatives are also advised to arrive at NATO Headquarters with sufficient lead-time to complete their in-processing. Livestreaming The opening remarks delivered by the NATO Chair of the NATO Military Committee will be streamed live on the NATO website and NATO International Military Staff Youtube Channel. The press conference will also be streamed live on the NATO website and NATO International Military Staff Youtube Channel. The live feed will be provided to EBU. Video footage will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event. Imagery Following each event, photos, video and audio files will be made available on the NATO IMS webpage www.nato.int/ims, as well as on the Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session (MCCS) event page. Social media Latest information and photos from the MCCS will be posted on the following X accounts: @CMC_NATO  and  @NATO_PASCAD. Please use the hashtags #NATOCHoDs and #NATOMC when posting about the NATO Military Committee. Media enquiries Capt (N) Giovanni Galoforo, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Advisor to the NATO Military Committee and the NATO International Military Staff. Tel: +32 2 707 5983 E-Mail: Galoforo.Giovanni@hq.nato.int LTC Balkus Tomas, Deputy Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Advisor to the NATO Military Committee and the NATO International Military Staff. Tel: +32 2 707 1029 E-Mail: Balkus.Tomas@hq.nato.int   Find more background information about the NATO Military Committee

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