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International Staff
Updated: 28 March 2024
The primary role of the International Staff (IS) is to provide advice, guidance and administrative support to the national delegations at NATO Headquarters. The IS helps to implement decisions taken at different committee levels and, in doing so, supports the process of consensus-building and decision-making within the Alliance.
- Some 1,600 civilians work within NATO’s IS, which is composed solely of nationals from NATO Allies.
- The IS provides advice, guidance and administrative support to the national delegations at NATO Headquarters.
- It helps implement all decisions taken at any committee level.
- The IS is headed by the NATO Secretary General, who from an administrative point of view is also a member of the IS.
- Vacancies within the IS are announced on NATO’s website and are open to all member country citizens.
- Worldwide, 9,000+ civilians work for NATO in different agencies and strategic and regional commands.
Role and responsibilities
The International Staff (IS) is an advisory and administrative body that supports the North Atlantic Council (Council or NAC) – NATO’s top political decision-making body. It is responsible for the preparation and follow-up of action in all matters of the Council. For instance, the IS produces a wide range of documents from policy papers to background notes, reports and speeches on issues relevant to NATO’s political and military agenda. It supports and advises committees, and also prepares and follows up on their discussions and decisions, therefore facilitating the political consultation process. It liaises closely with NATO’s International Military Staff (IMS) located in the same building in Brussels. The IMS is the executive body of the Military Committee – NATO’s senior military authority.
Members of the IS owe their allegiance to the Organization throughout the period of their appointment. They are either recruited directly by the Organization or seconded by their governments. Vacancies within the IS are announced on NATO’s website and are open to member country citizens.
The structure of the International Staff
The International Staff includes the Office of the Secretary General, six divisions, each headed by an Assistant Secretary General, and ten independent offices.
The Office of the Secretary General
The Office of the Secretary General comprises: the Secretary General himself, who heads the IS, as well as the Deputy Secretary General; the Chief of Staff, (Senior) Deputy Directors and support team; the Director-General for Management and team, and the Policy and Planning Unit.
Divisions
The IS fulfils a number of roles filled by different divisions. They are:
- Joint Intelligence and Security Division
- Cyber and Digital Transformation Division
- Political Affairs and Security Policy Division
- Defence Policy and Planning Division
- Operations Division
- Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments Division
Evolution of the International Staff
The IS was created in 1951 to support the NAC. It was made responsible for the preparation and follow-up of action in all matters of the NAC. The Agreement on the Status of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization defined its status, which National Representatives and International Staff negotiated and signed in September 1951.
Throughout the years, the IS has been reorganised many times. In November 2002 for instance, at the Prague Summit, NATO leaders approved a package of measures to enhance the Alliance's ability to meet new security threats. This included a reorganisation of NATO's IS and the implementation of modern management processes. The restructuring aimed to ensure a fairer redistribution of responsibilities among divisions, strengthen management of the staff and improve coordination on key issues and programmes.
In the 2010 Strategic Concept, NATO committed to "engage in a process of continual reform, to streamline structures, improve working methods and maximise efficiency". As such, a review of the IS was launched as part of a larger package of reform – that of the military command structure, organisations and agencies, and NATO committees.
Beyond the Strategic Concept, reform remains an ongoing process.