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On 24 and 25 October 2024 Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Bauer visited Finland, upon the invitation of its Chief of Defence General Janne Jaakkola. Admiral Bauer’s visit underscored the value of Finland as a NATO Ally and the important contributions it provides to NATO's deterrence and defence.

As NATO works to enhance defence production and ensure better defence planning, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke to the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) on the urgency of the task ahead. “Defence industrial issues are at the core of my agenda,” Mr Rutte explained. “NATO has made significant progress in kick-starting defence production, supporting Ukraine with munitions, and rebuilding stockpiles, but there is more to do, together.”

During his first trip to the Eastern Flank of the Alliance since taking office, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Estonian President Alar Karis, Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, and visited Allied troops at Tapa Army Base.

During her long career at NATO, Hedwige Lauwaert served as the principal assistant to four NATO Spokespersons. In this behind-the-scenes role, she helped the Alliance communicate with thousands of international journalists – and witnessed turning points in NATO history, such as the accession of the first countries from the former Eastern Bloc in 1999, NATO’s operation Allied Force conducted in March 1999 to halt the humanitarian catastrophe that was then unfolding in Kosovo, and the invocation of Article 5 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States.

On Tuesday (22 October 2024), a team from the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme was in Sofia to further strengthen scientific cooperation with Bulgaria.

The rapid evolution of digital technologies has profoundly transformed our societies, our economies, and is having a significant impact on modern warfare. NATO’s Digital Transformation Implementation Strategy will help address the need for technological and cultural transformation, leveraging data and artificial intelligence to drive this digital transformation.

Speaking at the Riga Conference in Latvia on Saturday (19 October 2024), NATO Acting Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Boris Ruge, underlined the importance of Ukraine prevailing in its fight to retain its sovereignty and independence in the face of Russian aggression. Ambassador Ruge emphasised that, “Ukraine is on an irreversible path to membership, so it is not up for debate whether Ukraine will be a member of NATO.” He also stressed, “support to Ukraine is not charity, it’s about our strategic interests.”

On 19 October 2024, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer attended the 11th edition of the Arctic Circle Assembly. While in Iceland, he also met with the Chief of Defence, Mr Jónas G. Allansson, former President of Iceland Mr Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Chairman of the Arctic Circle Assembly and Michael Sfraga, newly appointed US ambassador-at-large for the Arctic.

From 22 to 23 October 2024, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will travel to Estonia.

On Saturday (19 October) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte joined a meeting of G7 Defence Ministers in Naples, Italy to discuss how to further increase support to Ukraine, ramp up defence industrial production, and more. It was the first G7 meeting for Mr Rutte in his role as Secretary General and the first time the G7 convened a dedicated meeting in Defence Ministers format.

NATO Defence Ministers wrapped up two days of talks on Friday (18 October) with a commitment to further support Ukraine, strengthen ties with partners in the Asia-Pacific and reinforce the Alliance’s deterrence and defence.

From 18 to 19 October 2024, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will participate in the meeting of G7 Defence Ministers in Naples, Italy.

Jointly organized by the NATO Defense College (NDC) and the National Defence University of Ukraine (NDUU), the conference addressed the Alliance’s role in a new era of collective defence. The Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee and the Director of the International Military Staff provided keynote speeches. Discussions also took place on the topics of a changing security environment, partner engagement, resilience building and deterrence and defence ten years from now.

NATO Defence Ministers agreed on Thursday (October 17) to boost cooperation with their Indo-Pacific partners and to step up support for Ukraine.