page_title: Secretary General of NATO
section_title: Responsibilities
hierarchical_section_title: Secretary General of NATO / Responsibilities
context_page_description: The secretary general of NATO is an international diplomat who serves as the chief civil servant of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The officeholder is responsible for coordinating the workings of the alliance, leading NATO's international staff, chairing the meetings of the North Atlantic Council and most major committees of the alliance, with the notable exception of the NATO Military Committee, as well as acting as NATO's spokesperson. The secretary general does however not have any military command role; political, military and strategic decisions ultimately rest with the member states. Together with the chairman of the NATO Military Committee and the supreme Allied commander, the secretary general is one of the foremost officials of NATO.
  The current secretary general of NATO is former Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, who took office on 1 October 2014. Stoltenberg's mission as secretary general was extended for another four-year term, meaning that he will lead NATO until September 30, 2022.
context_section_description: The NATO secretary general chairs several of the senior decision-making bodies of NATO.  In addition to the North Atlantic Council, he chairs the Defence Planning Committee and the Nuclear Planning Committee, two of NATO's important military organizations.  The secretary general also leads the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the Mediterranean Cooperation Group, and serves as Joint Chairman of the Permanent Joint Council and the NATO-Ukraine Commission.
  In a second role, the secretary general leads the staff of NATO.  He directs the International Staff of the organization, and the Office of the Secretary General.  The secretary general also directs his or her own Private Office.  All of these bodies draw personnel from all members of NATO, so the secretary general must carefully coordinate.  For assistance in his responsibilities, the secretary general also has a deputy appointed by the organization.
  The NATO Military Command Structure consists of two strategic commands directed by the North Atlantic Council:
  Liaison:      Provides advice and support to the NAC
caption: International Military Staff DGIMS (IMS)