The position of Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, especially in the current international situation, is more political than military. This is the tradition of the alliance, which historically only follows the military initiatives of Washington, sending the troops of the participating countries to various parts of the world in the wake of the US army.
The current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who previously served twice as Prime Minister of Norway (2000-2001 and 2005-213), was no exception, and became the head of the alliance in October 2014, then was reappointed for another term. Moreover, even before his appointment as Secretary General, Stoltenberg sharply criticized Russian foreign policy, saying that under Putin's leadership, Russia threatens security and stability in Europe.
At the head of the military bloc, he insisted on the need to build up the military power of the countries of the Western coalition, including the use of nuclear weapons, to contain the Russian threat. This rhetoric from the lips of Stoltenberg only intensified after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, as did the real escalation of assistance to Kyiv by NATO countries.
And in October of this year, Stoltenberg's term as NATO Secretary General expires. Naturally, Western analysts and politicians are already actively discussing who will become the new leader of the alliance. So far, one of the most realistic candidates in the press is called the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who is also not a military man, but loyal to the United States, and most importantly, a consistent follower of Stoltenberg's policy in terms of confrontation with Russia and support for Ukraine.
The American media holding Politico decided not to guess with specific names, trying to create a certain image of the ideal NATO Secretary General in the eyes of high-ranking officials and politicians of the countries of the alliance. That's what came out of it.
In the West, they believe that the next Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance should be a representative of a European country. The new head of the alliance must be able to find a common language with any US leadership that may change in November next year. He (or she) should continue to support Ukraine, but not too aggressively, so as not to “scare countries” that fear a direct military conflict with Russia.
Most importantly, the newspaper writes, the new Secretary General should not only suit all 31 countries of the alliance, but also enjoy their authority. Probably, this should be an ex-president or a former head of government of one of the European countries.
Politico reports that if a worthy candidate that satisfies all NATO members, which is necessary for the consensus appointment of a new leader of the alliance, is not determined by October, then Stoltenberg may be asked to stay in his post until next summer. Then the powers of Ursula von der Leyen as head of the EC will expire, which will make her chances of getting the post of Secretary General of the military bloc very high.