Category: North Atlantic Treaty Organization

There will be no media opportunity.

Photographs will be available on the NATO website.

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At a farewell ceremony held at NATO Headquarters, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, praised Lieutenant General Adamczak’s tenure, stating: “Your leadership has not only shaped the IMS, but has strengthened the very core of our Alliance. The IMS has been able to support the Military Committee and me, every single day, ensuring that we could focus on our purpose: to build and maintain the greatest military Alliance the world has ever known.”

In a farewell address to the IMS, Lieutenant General Adamczak praised his staff: “Trust between divisions, between military and civilian personnel, and between nations, has been the foundation of everything we’ve achieved. Our responsibility has been to provide honest, professional, and clear military advice, even when it is difficult. And that is precisely what this staff has done. You have delivered truth without hesitation, and you have done so with integrity. Thank you to every single one of you who contributed – often quietly, often without recognition – to the mission we serve. Your work has not gone unnoticed. Your dedication has not been taken for granted.”

During his time as Director General, the IMS continued to play a pivotal role in shaping NATO’s military response to a dynamically changing security environment. From supporting the Alliance’s evolving defence posture to enhancing its ability to respond to crises, and from coordinating support to Ukraine to advancing military planning coherence, the IMS helped align strategic decisions with real-world implementation.

Lieutenant General Adamczak is succeeded by Lieutenant General Remigijus Baltrėnas  (Lithuania Army). A senior officer with deep experience in national and international defence roles, Lieutenant General Baltrėnas was selected for this position by the Chiefs of Defence at the 2024 Military Committee Conference in Prague. He takes up the post as NATO continues to adapt to a new era of collective defence.

The International Military Staff is the executive body of the Military Committee and NATO’s primary source of military expertise at Headquarters. Comprising both military and civilian personnel from across the Alliance, the IMS provides sound expertise across the whole spectrum of military activities to the Military Committee, thus contributing to the synergy between NATO’s political and military structures, and supporting the consensus-based decision-making process.

The Deputy Secretary General will attend the Dubrovnik Forum 2025 and have a number of bilateral engagements on the margins of the Forum.

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12 July, 13:00 (CEST) Participation at the Dubrovnik Forum 2025 by the NATO Deputy Secretary General

Media Coverage

The event will be streamed live on the YouTube channel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Croatia.
 
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Mr Rutte commended Germany’s resolve, commitment and contributions to our shared security, and its landmark decision to invest significantly more in defence. Highlighting the importance of Germany’s defence industrial base, he said, “your world-class industries and entrepreneurs are capable to ramp up production, innovate and deliver”.

At a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO, the Secretary General thanked Germany for its contributions to the Alliance.  Speaking in German, and echoing the words of Germany’s first Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, Mr Rutte recognised that Germany continues to be an “able and reliable” Ally, ready to take on more responsibility.  “When the world becomes more dangerous, and our security is at stake – Germany steps up,” Mr Rutte said.

While in Berlin, Mr Rutte also met President of the Bundestag Julia Klöckner, Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul, parliamentarians from the Defence Committee, and Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius, who hosted the 70th anniversary event at the Ministry of Defence. 

Highlights included a detailed presentation on Norway’s model for border protection, which features close cooperation between national entities such as the Border Commissioner, the Police, and the Armed Forces. Participants also visited the Parsvik Border Station, where they observed highly skilled and motivated young soldiers guarding the Norwegian-Russian border.

One of the NCR’s key objectives is the sharing of best practices. Norway, Finland and Sweden presented their national approaches to Total Defence. They outlined how they involve the whole of society in conscription, mobilization, recruitment, education and training, with a strong focus on integrating Reserves into regular Armed Forces structures.

The meeting also provided a timely opportunity to explore the growing strategic importance of NATO’s Nordic Region and the High North. Delegates left Kirkenes with valuable insights and practical knowledge to help further develop national Reserve capabilities. The Committee will reconvene for its Winter Plenary Meeting in Norfolk, USA, from 26 to 29 January 2026.

The NCR serves as the Military Committee’s standing advisory body on Reserve matters. It is composed of national representatives along with liaison officers from the International Military Staff (IMS), Allied Command Operations (ACO), and Allied Command Transformation (ACT).

On 2-3 July 2025 in Warsaw, Poland, over 30 expert participants from eight NATO Allies and Ukraine joined a workshop to exchange experiences and views, and to develop recommendations.  The recommendations address food and water contingency planning, infrastructure protection, public-private cooperation and enhancing overall food- and water-related societal resilience. In particular, Ukrainian demining experts shared their insights on how to plan for demining operations to restore the affected agricultural areas.

The workshop aimed to inform future planning for NATO and Ukraine by identifying new strategies, approaches and possible impact mitigation measures. NATO will continue to support Ukraine and incorporate the lessons learned into its thinking. NATO and its Allies work daily to ensure the resilience of food systems across the Alliance, future-proofing them against disruption and shocks, and to safeguard their essential functions for our societies.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte commended General Cavoli for modernising NATO’s collective defence and for his work responding to the ongoing Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He thanked General Cavoli for strengthening NATO’s presence in the Baltic Sea, to deter and defend against threats targeting Allies’ critical undersea infrastructure, as well as for conceiving and establishing NATO’s new command in Germany, which is bolstering support to Ukraine. “You have been an outstanding SACEUR, leading with honour and integrity,” said Mr Rutte. 

The Secretary General welcomed General Grynkewich, noting that he brings a wealth of experience to the post of SACEUR. As a former fighter pilot, General Grynkewich has “a deep understanding of the threats we face from the skies, and across other domains,” said Mr Rutte.  As the latest Director of Operations of the Joint Staff, he also has wide experience of delivering military and security priorities in the face of global challenges. “I know NATO can count on you to serve with the same steadfast resolve as your predecessors,” the Secretary General concluded.

Allied Command Operations is responsible for the planning and execution of all NATO operations. General Grynkewich is the twenty-first Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The first to occupy the post was General Dwight D. Eisenhower, subsequently the 34th President of the United States. 

The Secretary General will deliver a speech.

Media advisory

11:00 (CEST) Start of Change of Command Ceremony

Media coverage

The ceremony will be streamed live on the NATO website and will be made available to EBU News Exchange.

Still images of the Secretary General’s participation will be available after the event on the NATO website. Video will also be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal.

 

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Diederik Dijkgraaf from the Netherlands and Riivo Kruuk from Estonia managed to convince the jury with their submissions and were able to bring their murals to life in The Hague in collaboration with Dutch artist Tobias Becker. This year’s competition was organised under the motto “Maintaining Our Shared Future”.

The mural consists of the two winning entries combined. On the left, “NATO Dove: Protection of 1 Billion Citizens” was designed by Diederik Dijkgraaf and incorporates the flags of all 32 Allies into the wings of a dove. On the right, “A Peaceful Day” was designed by Riivo Kruuk and pays tribute to Dutch painters such as Johannes Vermeer. The winning designs were selected by a professional jury who considered entries from all across the Alliance.

PTECs form a global network of institutions offering courses and academic seminars to civilian and military staff from NATO Allied and partner countries. Their goal is to improve the professionalism of national personnel, increase the ability of military personnel to operate well together, and conduct education and training activities carried out within the framework of NATO partnership programmes and policies. Since the PTEC community was launched in 1999, Ukraine has been an active member, thanks to the participation of its International Peacekeeping and Security Centre (IPSC).

Despite the many challenges posed by Russia’s war against Ukraine, the 25th MPTC draws lessons learned from combat experience to refine courses and explore new training opportunities. It actively collaborates with the NATO Military Police community of interest and the NATO Military Police Centre of Excellence, based in Bydgoszcz, Poland, to develop high-quality courses. This helps to strengthen training initiatives in the discipline of Military Policing.

Cooperation with NATO will also be enhanced through the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC), also based in Bydgoszcz. The 25th MPTC will create synergies with the JATEC and add value by identifying and applying lessons learned from Russia’s war of aggression. Cooperation between NATO and Ukraine is characterised by the common objective of increasing interoperability. Ukrainian officials have highlighted that they see NATO as the right platform for their defence institutions to share their unique and state-of-the-art capabilities with Allies and like-minded partners.

Centres wishing to join the PTEC network must undergo thorough evaluation.  Evaluation of the 25th MPTC in March by experts from NATO Headquarters, Allied Command Operations and other NATO and Allied entities was, exceptionally, conducted in Bydgoszcz due to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. Representatives of the centre and NATO experts used the facilities of the NATO Military Police Centre of Excellence. NATO experts concluded that the centre demonstrated high expertise, professionalism and familiarity with NATO standards. The MPTC in Lviv, Ukraine is now the 36th member of the network of Partnership Training and Education Centres.