NATO chief introduces ‘DOGE’-style reforms ahead of Trump summit

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has begun to reduce employment within the alliance as part of a major restructuring effort.

Rutte, who took office as NATO chief last October, plans to eliminate two divisions at the Brussels headquarters and cut dozens of positions.

“He is basically DOGE-ing NATO,” said an alliance official, referring to the radical downsizing initiative in the US federal government led by Elon Musk earlier this year.

This previously unreported restructuring comes ahead of a critical summit in The Hague, which begins on Tuesday and will be attended by US President Donald Trump, amid widespread concerns that the NATO-skeptic president might one day withdraw from the military alliance.

The reforms are taking place in a complex geopolitical and defense environment, with wars shaking Ukraine and the Middle East, and warnings from the Trump administration that the US may take a backseat in Europe’s security in the future.

When Rutte took over from Jens Stoltenberg after his ten-year tenure last year, he announced in his first speech that there was “work to be done” to improve NATO. “My task is to ensure that our alliance continues to adapt to a more complex world,” he said.

The former Dutch prime minister wasted no time in restructuring the alliance’s bureaucracy.

In recent months, he has held two internal meetings with his staff, announcing a series of changes, including reducing NATO’s international staff divisions from eight to six.

The divisions to be eliminated are the Public Diplomacy Division, which serves as NATO’s press service, and the Executive Management Division, the alliance’s human resources department.

The functions of these divisions will largely be taken over by other departments. However, the assistant secretaries general, who are division heads appointed by the secretary general after consulting with member countries, will no longer continue in their roles, a directly knowledgeable official confirmed to POLITICO.

The Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, Marie-Doha Besancenot of France, left her post in March and has not been replaced. The head of the Executive Management Division, Carlo Borghini of Italy, will also be leaving his position.

Another official told POLITICO that dozens of positions will be eliminated as part of the restructuring, but added that the cuts do not “seem very high” and that new staff will be hired.

“This is something that happens when a new secretary general comes in,” a former senior NATO official told POLITICO about Rutte’s plans to restructure the alliance.

The former senior official said Rutte’s reform is not as reckless as Musk’s infamous Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, which resulted in the dismissal of American federal employees with almost no warning and the shutdown of US agencies.

“This is being done by insiders who really understand the priorities, the existing structures, and the processes. That’s why it’s a much more long-term and deliberate process than DOGE,” the official said.

NATO is headquartered in Brussels and employs approximately 4,000 people, including about 1,500 international staff for whom Rutte is responsible.

Most are temporary workers or “temporary staff”—typically younger, junior personnel on short-term, six-month contracts. Two current officials told POLITICO there has been a distinct shift toward reducing the number of temporary positions and making more roles permanent.

“It’s hard to ensure consistency if you go from temporary job to temporary job,” said the former senior NATO official, adding that discussions about high turnover and reducing reliance on short-term staff began before Rutte’s tenure.

“They are incredibly talented and dedicated people, and I hope that because of their experience and the fact that they already have security clearance, they will have the chance to apply for suitable contract positions,” the former official added.

Speaking on behalf of the alliance, a senior NATO official said regarding the staff cuts, “Secretary General Rutte is committed to an effective and efficient NATO,” and “he has initiated a restructuring process to optimize the operations of NATO headquarters.”

“The restructuring process, which has also taken into account the views of the staff and has been approved by the allies, is ongoing,” the official added.