NATO to keep leader for another two years

NATO has agreed to keep Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for another two years as the head of the alliance.

Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway and NATO secretary general since 2014, will stay in his role through Sept. 30, 2020.

{mosads}“Allies congratulate the Secretary General and have full confidence in his ability to continue his dedicated work to advance NATO’s adaptation to the security challenges of the 21st century,” NATO said in a statement.

The Pentagon on Wednesday applauded the move and called Stoltenberg “a dynamic leader during a period of profound transition for NATO.”

“I can think of no one better suited to continue to lead this critical alliance for an additional two years,” Defense Department chief spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement.

“The United States looks forward to continuing to work with Secretary General Stoltenberg as he strives to strengthen further our NATO alliance.”

Stoltenberg became head of the 67-year-old organization during a particularly turbulent year, during which Russia invaded and annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea.

Since then, the United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union, President Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate accord, and Trump has bashed NATO allies for not spending enough on defense or being tough on terrorism.

Following the March 22, 2016, terrorist attacks in Brussels, where at least 35 were killed and more than 300 injured, then-candidate Trump told ABC News he thought NATO was “obsolete.”

Stoltenberg has said one of his primary goals for NATO in 2018 is for countries to meet the alliance goal of spending at least 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense. Only five countries currently reach that goal: the United States, Poland, Greece, the United Kingdom and Estonia.