NATO Sec-Gen Stoltenberg passes the torch after a decade capped by Ukraine war

BRUSSELS: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will step down from his role on Tuesday (Oct 1), after 10 years at the helm of the defence alliance.
His legacy is seen as primarily defined by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which transformed the 32-member bloc.
Former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte will take over as the organisation’s next chief.
The 65-year-old former Norwegian prime minister has led NATO through its most significant decade since the Cold War.
Stoltenberg was chosen for the role in March 2014, just days after Russia annexed Crimea and started arming separatists in the east of Ukraine.
In response, the alliance’s member countries committed to spending 2 per cent of their national gross domestic product (GDP) on defence to ensure military readiness.
In the same year, NATO ended its 11-year mission in Afghanistan.
Subsequently, Stoltenberg coordinated the alliance’s response to a number of major challenges. They include an attempted coup in Turkiye in 2016, a NATO-sceptical Donald Trump presidency in the United States in 2017, the Turkish invasion of Northern Syria in 2019 and a growing Russian aggression towards the bloc over the years.
Since 2022, NATO has been undergoing its most acute crisis in more than 30 years due to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine is not a NATO member, but has close ties with the alliance and is situated between Europe and Russia.
Following the annexation of Crimea, Ukraine’s parliament voted to drop its neutral status and worked towards joining NATO. It applied for membership in September 2022, several months after the full-scale invasion.
NATO’s principal spokesperson Oana Lungescu said while Moscow’s war came as a “shock”, the bloc was prepared.
“Within hours of Russia’s full-fledged invasion, (Stoltenberg) called a meeting of the North Atlantic Council. NATO’s defence plans were activated very quickly from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.”
Led by the US, the alliance and its allies mobilised, sending weapons and aid to Ukraine.
Member countries have formally assured Kyiv of membership once its war against Russia ends.
In the meantime, they have pledged long-term support in arms, training and funds to bolster Ukraine’s defences and rebuilding efforts.
With a nuclear power waging war on its eastern front, the bloc braced itself for the very real risk that Russia would escalate matters by pushing into Europe.
NATO actively drew up plans for Europe’s defence, including a significant increase in military spending.
The United Kingdom’s ambassador to NATO David Quarrey said that in those moments of crisis, Stoltenberg’s experience and temperament were assets.
“He has been both a finance minister and a prime minister. He knows (what is) the right thing to do … even if it’s difficult. And, he does it with great humour and warmth, and also with a Nordic directness as well,” added Quarrey.
Stoltenberg also pushed to prepare the alliance for threats far beyond its borders – from Arctic operations and cybersecurity, to developing NATO’s position on China’s growing influence.
During his 10-year tenure, he oversaw the addition of four new members as well.
Montenegro joined in 2017, while North Macedonia’s accession took place in 2020. Finland and Sweden officially joined in the past two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shattered a sense of stability in northern Europe.
In his farewell speech, the outgoing chief stressed the importance of the transatlantic alliance for both Europe and North America.
“We live in an interconnected world. Security challenges are too big and competition is too fierce for any country to go at it alone. Investing in the transatlantic relationship is the only winning way forward,” he said. 
He added that an end to the war in Ukraine would only be achieved at the negotiating table.
Diplomats behind the scenes said Stoltenberg will leave a bigger and stronger alliance in good shape for his successor Rutte.
For Rutte, however, the 57-year-old will inherit a broad set of challenges ranging from Ukraine to a new US president, as well as growing tensions with China.
After NATO, Stoltenberg is expected to take over as chair of the Munich Security Conference, an annual major international forum for political and military leaders, according to Reuters.