59th Anniversary of NATO International Military Staff

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Brussels, NATO HQ, 10 February 2026 – NATO Deputy Secretary General, Radmila Shekerinska, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, and the Director General of the NATO International Military Staff (IMS), Lieutenant General Remigijus Baltrėnas opened the annual IMS Day with keynote speeches. Following their addresses, the renewed IMS Day Exhibition on the history of NATO IMS was inaugurated in the NATO HQ.

Deputy Secretary General Shekerinska emphasised that IMS “continues to be the essential link between the political decision-making bodies of the Alliance and NATO’s Strategic Commanders.” She also recalled how today’s threats are growing in size and complexity, requiring prompt and robust answers. For this, the IMS plays a key role to support the Military Committee advice to the political authorities.

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, having spent already one year in his position, confirmed that – throughout this period – he has witnessed how the tempo has remained extremely high, and how IMS personnel have carried significant workloads, providing effective contribution. “The reality is that we all work under the same NATO flag – he added – whether in uniform or as a civilian professional. We all work as one team, with one mission.”

In his address, Lieutenant General Remigijus Baltrėnas thanked the IMS personnel who “always works without fanfare, often behind the scenes, yet always at the very heart of NATO’s military decision-making.” He thanked NATO nations for posting highly professional and committed personnel in the IMS. “We count on you, to ensure strategic coherence, and unity of effort — especially when the world is uncertain, like nowadays, and the security environment increasingly challenging,” he concluded.

DGIMS extended his warm welcome to all guests attending the ceremony. The ceremony was attended also by Major General Gábor Horváth, Deputy Director General and Chief of Staff of the European Union Military Staff (EUMS), and the previous DGIMS, Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Wiermann.

The IMS Day Exhibition was first showcased in 2025 and it consists of historical IMS artifacts, as well as panels illustrating NATO IMS’ long history. The IMS consists of approximately 500 staff, between military and civilian personnel. The body contributes to providing strategic and military advice and as staff support to the Military Committee, which – in turn – advises the North Atlantic Council on all military matters. Furthermore, the IMS ensures that decisions taken at the highest levels are implemented by the appropriate NATO military bodies.

The origins of the International Military Staff can be dated to 10 November 1966, when the Military Committee approved a document with the reference MC2/4 “The report on the organization of the integrated International Military Staff”. One month later, this report was noted by the Defence Planning Committee of the North Atlantic Council. This event marked the formal transition from the "Standing Group", which was the previous executive military body in NATO, to the International Military Staff.

The formal approval of the International Military Staff commenced on 8 February 1967, and the next evening of 9 February 1967, the Chairman of the Military Committee, Lieutenant General Charles Paul de Cumont (from Belgium), received a confirmation message named “Activation of the IMS”. The next morning, of 10 February 1967, the International Military Staff was formally activated.