BRUSSELS: Nato on Tuesday reappointed Jens Stoltenberg as secretary general to serve until 2020, as the alliance undergoes its biggest revamp since the Cold War to counter the perceived threat posed by Russia.

The former Norwegian prime minister, who took the helm in October 2014, will lead the alliance into its next summit in Brussels in July with the North Korean nuclear crisis and US President Donald Trump’s apparent ambivalence towards Nato looming large.

The alliance is making ambitious reforms to its command structures that aim to make Nato fit for the challenges of warfare in the 21st century — particularly the threat from cyber tactics and hybrid warfare.

Former Norwegian prime minister Stoltenberg, 58, wrote on Twitter that he was “honoured and grateful” to have his mandate extended.

“Looking forward to continue working together to strengthen the Alliance and keep our citizens safe,” Stoltenberg wrote.

The North Atlantic Council, Nato’s main political decision-making body, said the 29 alliance members had agreed to extend Stoltenberg’s mandate to September 30, 2020.

Stoltenberg is the first Nato chief since the end of the Cold War to be given a two-year extension rather than just one — an indication of confidence in his leadership.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2017