Senior German diplomat to become NATO assistant secretary seneral

Senior German diplomat Boris Ruge is to become NATO assistant secretary general for political affairs and security policy, a spokesman for the military alliance said on Tuesday.

Ruge is to replace fellow German Bettina Cadenbach who has held the post since 2019.

Ruge, 61, is currently vice chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). He worked for NATO during the Kosovo war as a liaison officer at headquarters in Brussels and as a political adviser to two commanders of NATO forces in Pristina.

He also served as head of unit for the Near and Middle East and North Africa at the German Foreign Ministry, German ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and deputy ambassador to the United States.

In total, there are currently eight assistant secretary generals at NATO. Ruge is expected to take up the job under Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg later this year.