The NATO International Staff celebrates its 50th Anniversary
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On 4 July, Lieutenant General Jan Broeks, Director General of the International Military Staff held a Town Hall meeting to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Military Staff and honour staff members for their exceptional work.
During the Town Hall meeting, Lieutenant General Broeks unveiled an exhibit retracing the history of the International Military Staff (IMS) from its predecessor, the NATO Standing Group, to the present day structure.
The Director General highlighted the history of the IMS, starting with its creation in 1967 to replace the NATO Standing Group which was initially composed exclusively of personnel from only three NATO Nations: France, United Kingdom and United States of America. The remaining NATO Nations were integrated into the Standing Group in 1957. Despite this integration, the Standing Group format was not optimal as national viewpoints outweighed international perspectives. In 1966, after France’s withdrawal from the integrated military command, the North Atlantic Council (NAC) decided to disestablish the Standing Group and replace it with a common-funded fully integrated staff: the International Military Staff.
For the last 50 years, the IMS has been the essential link between the political decision-making bodies of the Alliance and NATO’s Strategic Commanders. The IMS’ role is to provide the best possible strategic military advice and staff support to the Military Committee (MC). The IMS also supports the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee (CMC) and the Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee in the execution of their duties.
Lieutenant General Broeks acknowledged the “hard work and dedication of the IMS. You take great pride in your work and produce quality products which enables the Headquarters to keep up the momentum with the tasks and decisions given by Heads of State and Government and Ministers. It has not gone unnoticed and it is highly appreciated”. The Director General also awarded commendations to staff members for their distinguished work at the IMS.
The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg also joined the IMS Town Hall and congratulated the IMS on this significant milestone. The Secretary General then presented NATO Meritorious Medals to three members of the IMS.
The NATO Meritorious Service Medal was introduced in 2003 in recognition of both operational and non-operational exceptional or remarkable service to NATO for nominated military and civilian personnel. The Medal is the personal award of the NATO Secretary General, who signs each citation.